Meet our People - Simona Del Papa

Hi, I’m Simona Del Papa, and I’m the HR Operations Lead for Europe, serving around 20,000 employees in 27 countries. I also lead the Krakow and Tallinn Service Centers which deliver HR Operations services. During the last two years, I’ve also led the Sakura Europe implementation.

I’ve had many challenging and interesting roles, starting from 1991 with ABB SACE in Bergamo up to when I joined the Power Grids unit being sold to Hitachi in 2020. I was keen to try something new and keep testing myself.

What is astonishing is that we not only delivered the Sakura HR transformation (systems, tools, processes) but ensured regular delivery of all our services. We are now focusing on stabilization and adoption while supporting business growth, as well as the Reiwa program to continue our digitalization roadmap as a company.

There are many amazing attributes about our HR Operations people. It was very tough on people having to run one huge project after another (transition from ABB, Sakura etc.) while continuing to deliver services as usual. We always need to be resilient and professional to manage the workload and rise above the challenges we face.

All our teams are going through a major professional and personal transformation as our new environment requires a big skillset shift and a fresh perspective as one’s knowledge and leadership style needs adaptation.

Our attention to detail has to be extremely high, which is tricky with all the local and global requirements, complexities involved with a broad scope.

The volume of HR ticket transactions we manage is huge - just in Europe, the number of cases is well above 20,000 a month!

I’m a problem solver so my role is rewarding. Being a solution finder is crucial when working with complex topics involving so many different countries, people and cultures across Europe. I thrive when I can be part of new, forward-looking projects and challenges. HR Operations never fails to provide opportunities to exploit my competences and test new ones!

What makes me proud to be working at Hitachi Energy is that the business is very relevant for the times and world we live in. Even if improvement is always possible, I do believe the company wants its employees to thrive, grow, feel included and engaged.

The best advice I would offer new employees at Hitachi Energy is to meet as many people as possible to learn about the business, the organization and the culture. Allow yourself time to understand where you are but don’t be afraid to speak your mind, contribute and share ideas.

The one thing I will never forget is to be grateful for the many blessings I have received in life and that I am strong and resilient for whatever is thrown at me.

I have many treasured memories outside of work while on road trips with my husband. Travel is the favourite way of recharging my batteries.