Giovanna (left) and Luisa swiftly recognize their shared interests, including a love for traveling.
Introduced as a colleague and welcomed with a smile
Testimonial by Giovanna Cereda
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Our Globe XChange Day began with an espresso, a typical Italian start. I was a bit uncertain about what to expect when I met Luisa Somalvico from GF Machining Solutions in Agrate Brianza, but my concerns disappeared after a first chat. As it turned out, our conversation came naturally.
Connecting over core values
In the morning, I first gave Luisa a tour of our workplace in Vimercate (Italy), introducing her to my 15 backoffice colleagues, sharing details of my work and learning about hers (see page 23). I’m country HR partner for the Italian Uponor branch unit and for internal and external communication. On this topic, although we are both active in communications and marketing, our roles are slightly different. One focus for Luisa is trade fairs, while in our Italian unit I’m mainly responsible for working in synergy with our global communications team, both localizing the content or creating new content close to our partners to raise awareness of our products, solutions and new launches among the various stakeholders through different social media channels, or newsletters, web portals and other media.
© Alberto BernasconiGiovanna Cereda
Position: Senior HR Specialist
Division: GF Uponor
Location: Vimercate (Italy)
Joined Uponor in: 2002
However, there are also similarities, particularly when it comes to the core values of our two companies. Both Uponor and GF prioritize their employees – a principle I hold dear, as I believe the individual employee is essential to the success of a company.
One of my favorite moments was lunch, when Luisa and I talked about our families and work-life balance.
“When GF speaks about adding value with the acquisition of Uponor, they really mean it.”
Giovanna Cerada, HR Specialist at GF Uponor
Seeing how she manages both, especially by working remotely, reminded me of the challenges I faced when flexibility wasn’t available. It’s good to see that times have changed and work-life balance is a core for both organizations.
© Alberto Bernasconi
© Alberto BernasconiHeartfelt promise of collaboration
The day continued at GF’s new office, which left a lasting impression on me. The building is very modern, full of light, with large open spaces to get together, fantastic meeting rooms and a nice reception area. What I liked best there was meeting Luisa’s coworkers. I was introduced as a colleague and welcomed with a smile. This proved that, when GF speaks about “adding value” with the acquisition of Uponor, they really mean it.
As assistant to the management, I have witnessed Uponor’s evolution since 2002. Of course, I know that Globe XChange Day was only the first step, but I am excited to start this new journey and I’m pretty confident that together we will be able to combine our strength and expertise to drive this process successfully and add still more value to our company.
Further impressions:
© Alberto Bernasconi
© Alberto Bernasconi
© Alberto Bernasconi
© Alberto Bernasconi
© Alberto Bernasconi
Come together
GF Uponor is part of the family
GLOBE XCHANGE DAY was born out of a desire to deepen personal connections within the newly formed GF family. On this unique occasion, four dedicated colleagues from GF Uponor were thoughtfully paired with four counterparts from GF Piping Systems, GF Casting Solutions and GF Machining Solutions, considering shared areas of responsibility and pinpointing common Uponor or GF locations in Sweden, Italy, Germany and Canada on the world map. You will discover compelling testimonials from your colleagues, offering a holistic view of Globe Xchange Day and the profound connections forged across our extended GF family.