Paola Pongiglione, Italy

I am proud to be Power Grids because I think my daily work contributes, in my small way, to drive the global energy transition which I strongly believe in; passionately fighting for it with perseverance and fairness.

As a Senior R&D Engineer, I work in control solutions for microgrids, renewable energy sources and storage devices, shaping such technologies in order to guarantee a reliable transition to sustainable energy and smart grids.

I chose to work for Hitachi ABB Power Grids, a technology leader, to have the opportunity to apply research innovation to real projects. Moreover, my R&D team is a global team, and this makes it even more inspiring, having the chance to monitor the emerging trends worldwide and address the newest challenges in the energy sphere.

I joined the company one month before COVID-19 burst and immediately was forced to work from home. I should have been terrified by thousands of calls with people I barely knew, but since right from my first few days of work, my colleagues made me feel that I am a useful part of this constantly evolving “gear” which is a team, so I got naturally used to it.

Our team comes from very different backgrounds (even among the Italians). We often find ourselves working “side-by-side” with people in the other side of the world. But despite the geographical distance, I feel a genuine openness and strong willingness to cooperate for a common goal.

I see a lot of growth opportunities on the horizon: joining Hitachi will help us renew habits and ideas, find new synergies, and have a greater impact.