As Vice President of Sustainability Applications Strategy and Technology at Oracle, my mission is to focus on the development of sustainability technology solutions that help customers decarbonize their operations and drive progress towards their sustainability goals. This year, in recognition of International Women’s Day 2025, I wanted to share my experience as a woman in STEM, and as an early pioneer of corporate sustainability initiatives at Oracle. Acknowledging that there is more work to be done in this space, I offer a few key takeaways on how we can all help to accelerate action on gender equality.
Break norms
Growing up in Italy, my parents encouraged me to pursue my career aspirations and adventurous spirit, a break from the more traditional cultural values that prioritized family life. The decision to focus on my career first was important and having the support of my family motivated me to pursue industrial engineering and economics. My father was a feminist and encouraged me to attend university and imparted the values of hard work and determination. My earliest lesson on equity came from my father. He said, “You’re working class and you’re a woman, so you have to work twice as hard to get ahead.”
Focus on your passion
Early on in life, I developed an interest in math and technology. I was accepted into the Polytechnic University of Milan to study Economics and Industrial Engineering, where I was one of only a few female engineers at the time. Although the field was dominated by men, I was never treated differently from my male colleagues. The beauty of engineering was that we were all focused on the math. It leveled the playing field. There was a mutual respect that grew from my commitment to the work. If you’re good at what you do, then there is less of a bias.
Bet on yourself
When my interests pivoted towards sustainability, I was driven by the idea that environmental stewardship was a universal concept. Every individual should make sustainability a priority, ensuring that we leave behind a planet that can meet the economic, social, and environmental needs of future generations. In a field mostly dominated by men, this career path felt like more of a bet than a sure path to success. Environmental legislation and activism rose significantly in the 1970s with corporations beginning to focus on sustainable development in the 1980s. There were not many women in technology, and certainly not in the field of sustainability in general so I had to forge my own path.
Over 17 years ago, I co-founded Oracle’s sustainability program and led the development of our early environmental policies and our first materiality assessment. My role was instrumental in crafting Oracle’s first sustainability goals and working to reduce emissions, waste, and water usage, and transition data centers to renewable energy. In 2016, I launched Oracle’s Green Team program to better engage employees on sustainability issues. Through that initiative, employee groups help lead sustainability efforts globally and make an impact through volunteer projects.
Draw inspiration from empowered women
There were many women who inspired me early on, like renown climate leader Christiana Figueres, whose work was instrumental in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Today there are many trailblazers whose unwavering commitment to their causes have inspired generations of women—Gloria Steinem, Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, and great Italian scientists Rita Levi Montalcini and Margherita Hack.
As an avid reader, I also drew inspiration from the tenacious, stalwart heroines that I would often find in books. From the fiercely independent Jo March in Little Women to the intelligent and determined Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. These strong, fearless women have barreled ahead in the face of adversity to be seen and heard.
Importance of allies and mentors
When I moved into the professional world, there were only a few female leaders that paved the way for women in technology or sustainability. According to McKinsey, only 22% of all tech roles in Europe are occupied by women. This is where mentors and allies played a major role in furthering my growth and development as a leader. You need an advocate to be your voice in the rooms that you’re not in. There is unlimited value in learning from people of all genders who come from different backgrounds and have different levels of experience. Some of the best mentors I had were men who supported my career ambitions and helped me to navigate the challenges of this industry.
“You need an advocate to be your voice in the rooms that you’re not in.”
One way to address the shortage of women in technology is to encourage women from a young age to pursue opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and support their transition from university to the workforce. I’ve supported this mission by mentoring and coaching girls at the Design Tech High School (d.tech), a free non-profit public charter school located on Oracle’s campus in Redwood Shares, CA. Classes at d.tech enable students to explore various disciplines and future careers. Students learn about new technology, with hands-on experience creating prototypes using 3D printing, data visualization, and other tools. I was impressed by how the young women approached technology not as a source of entertainment, but as a tool to solve a problem. Many of the young women went on to focus on engineering later in high school and beyond. Watching these girls show an interest in science and engineering gave me hope for the future of women in STEM. Engineering and technology are not only a man’s territory—I showed them that they can do it too.
Leading sustainable technology development at Oracle
In my current role as vice president of the Sustainability Solutions Strategy and Technology team, I spearhead the development of technology solutions that help customers embed sustainability into their own operations and strategy. We are a passionate team who care deeply about sustainability and helping our customers. Data is one of the most important factors in corporate sustainability management. We help customers track, manage, measure, and report on their data to drive sustainability impact.
Figure 1: Oracle drives progress on sustainability imperatives such as promoting transparency and accountability, building resilience and circularity, and implementing responsible and ethical business practices.
Oracle’s Fusion suite of applications with embedded artificial intelligence and machine learning work together to help customers manage complex sustainability challenges. Oracle Fusion Cloud Sustainability helps organizations capture and define environmental, social, and governance data to improve reporting, and enable data-driven insights. Oracle Cloud EPM for Sustainability is a comprehensive reporting solution that integrates financial and non-financial data to support climate scenario analysis, strategic planning, and ESG reporting and compliance.
Oracle’s customers are using the Fusion sustainability ecosystem to build sustainable futures by embedding resilience and circularity into their supply chains, enhancing climate risk mitigation and adaptation strategies, and monitoring their environmental and social impacts through data analysis and insights.
As we face evolving global challenges, we must remain focused on resilience and adaptation. With 44% of global GDP tied to nature and vulnerable to environmental risks, the challenges are complex, but they also present a unique opportunity to build resilient supply chains, enhance transparency, and drive long-term value. By leveraging technology, we can reshape the future. The opportunity to lead this change is now.
What’s next?
Join me at Oracle CloudWorld London on March 20 to discover how Oracle’s Fusion Suite can help organizations transform sustainability challenges into actionable insights to accelerate meaningful change. Register today: https://www.oracle.com/uk/cloudworld-tour/#register