What was your background before joining AGC?  
I attended a technical college in Italy specializing in electrical engineering, earning a “perito elettrotecnico” degree. This training aligned with my practical and technical interests. Right after that, I had the opportunity to start working at a small IBM partner company, back in the 1980s when computers were still in their infancy. I started there as a hardware technician, before expanding into IT support, customer training, and then systems and networks. I stayed there for 12 years.

How did you end up at AGC?  
My manager at the time began a partnership with AGC for office software training. That’s how I first came into contact with the company, which later offered me a position. I joined as an Local IT Support at the Cuneo site in Italy. 

How has your role evolved?   
Gradually, thanks to my technical skills and my fluency in French—Cuneo is 30 kilometers from the French border—I was involved in group-wide projects. In 2012, I took on the role of IT Infrastructure Project Manager. I led comprehensive infrastructure projects—so-called “greenfield” projects—in Brazil and Morocco and implemented OT networks in several factories across Europe. Finally, since 2024, I have been the OT Security Lead.

What is your role as OT Security Lead?   
When AGC offered me this role, management told me: “You know the plants, we trust you, and you’re capable of handling both the technical and procedural aspects.” My mission is therefore to implement OT security policies across the group. Operational Technology encompasses all IT systems related to production machinery: PLCs*, control interfaces. For a long time, this equipment operated in a closed loop, but today it must be connected to the network to retrieve data, configure, or perform remote maintenance on the machines. The issue of security has become crucial.
AGC has always been very attentive to IT cybersecurity: antivirus software, firewalls, network security. But IT rules do not apply to OT. In IT, systems are updated regularly. In an industrial environment, this is virtually impossible: to upgrade a production line’s system, you must not only replace a computer but also modify the entire program that manages it—at a colossal cost. It is a world of its own, with its own constraints and specific challenges.

(*) industrial computer used for automation in manufacturing

What does your daily work look like today?  
About 30% of my time is still devoted to infrastructure: configuring, troubleshooting, and helping a supplier who can’t connect remotely. The remaining 70% is dedicated to OT Security Management. For example, I’ll prepare a document listing all the security specifications that new production lines must comply with. I also work on remote access for partners, the contractual framework with the legal department, and last year I led an “OT Security Assessment” in 30 factories—the largest and most sensitive ones—across a network of nearly 90 sites. Not to mention risk management.

What are the most exciting aspects of your job?   
Anything that involves human interaction. Conducting an on-site audit is very stimulating because I enjoy the exchanges. Every time, I learn more about the PLCs and how a production line operates. My role is a bit like a bridge. There’s the industrial side that needs connectivity, and the IT side, which is very technical. I act as the interface between the two: I connect people and ensure information flows in the right direction.

You’ve worked in a traditionally male-dominated field. What was that like for you?  
It’s true that when I graduated, there were four women for every twenty-five men. But at AGC, women hold technical positions, including on the factory floor. If you have the drive and the skills for this type of work, you’ll find your place.

If you had to choose one AGC value, which one would you choose?   
Diversity. I experience it every day: doing the same work in varied environments, with people from different countries. Installing a network in Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, or Belgium is not the same work at all. The factory culture changes the mission; it’s always exciting.

What do you expect from your future at AGC?  
I have a few years left before retirement. Time flies! My goal is to successfully implement what AGC has asked of me in this role: clear, well-known, and strictly followed OT safety procedures. It’s a great project in progress. In fact, I’ve been given a new challenge just a few years before retirement, which is encouraging. It speaks volumes about how AGC views career development, at any stage of one’s career.

What would you say to someone considering joining AGC?  
Don’t hesitate to seize this opportunity. And for someone with a technical background, I’d especially say: try not to stay stuck in an office—get to know the industry you’re working in. In my case, that’s the industrial sector. This hands-on approach has allowed me to build a great career. AGC offers plenty of opportunities to those who truly commit themselves.

I was given a new challenge just a few years before retirement. That speaks volumes about how AGC views career development, at any stage of one’s career.