Women’s History Month: Valeria Gutowski

The following interview was conducted as part of a series for Women's History Month, featuring various women employees at Enfusion.

Q: What makes Enfusion a great workplace for women?

A: Inclusive culture, supportive leadership, flexibility, growth mindset, and opportunities for upward mobility.

Q: How can allies better support women in the workplace? What impact do you think allyship can have on women’s advancement?

A: Allyship plays a pivotal role in fostering an environment of support, inclusivity, and empowerment, all of which are critical to women's advancement in the workplace. Through allyship we can break down systematic barriers such as biases in hiring and promotions and create more opportunities for women to thrive at work, and in their personal lives alike. However, I think perhaps the most important role of allies is simply to champion women's voices and perspectives, ensuring their ideas are heard and valued. On a personal level, allies can build up women's confidence, self-assurance, and visibility. This is critical, because visibility is so key to advancement.

Q: Who is a female leader you admire? What qualities do they have? that you aspire to possess?

A: Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel prize and the first person to win it twice. In a time when most women's life was determined for them, Marie Curie broke down stereotypical barriers and pursued her passion. The results of her work are still relevant in science and medicine today after more than 100 years. While she did not lead people in the transitional sense, to me, she showed some of the most important of all leadership traits: authenticity, passion, tenacity, and willingness to defy the status quo while making tremendous contributions to one's community and society at large.

Q: What advice do you have for younger women entering the workforce?

A: Find sponsorship. I recently read a quote that resonated with me: "Surround yourself with people who fight for you in rooms you are not in." This is what sponsorship truly is: finding those who will lift you up and carry you along with them. I think this is the most key element to advancement. Another key piece of advice I would give is to speak up. Have the courage to provide perspective even when it differs from that of those around you. When provided in a respectable manner, any well-supported opinion or solution is better than none. Finally, I would encourage them to find ways to be visible and take credit for the work they do.

Q: What are the qualities you feel make an inspiring female leader?

A: Authenticity, perseverance, but also compassion and empathy. However, the most important to me is the ability to foster a creative work environment where ideas are welcomed and pursued. We can only be as good as the teams supporting us, so letting them open up, take the lead, and bring new ideas to the table will significantly increase effectiveness and efficiency, and foster a sense of worth, ownership and belonging.