Priscila Baioco is president of the Women's Committee of ABRAVA – Brazilian Association of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Heating, National Sales Manager (Insulation) at Armacell Brazil and postgraduate in the area of Business Management. She talks in this interview about the importance of joining forces to expand female participation in the HVAC-R sector – Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration in Brazil.
What is the mission of this Committee and its importance for the evolution of the HVAC-R sector in Brazil?
The mission of our Committee is to be a forum for discussion of women in the HVAC-R sector, encouraging the insertion of women in the sector and expanding their knowledge, so that they can be protagonists in their areas of activity. We want the committee to be a reference, that is, the Committee "speaks" in Fiesp (Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo), "speaks" with the other entities, so it can be recognized as the sector's reference committee for the causes of gender equality. Therefore, we have constituted a committee, which in its base has a diversity of profiles of women, composed of professionals from companies, engineers, technicians and academics. All united with the aim of bringing the vision of gender equality, which is beneficial to all companies, including in terms of profitability and innovation.
What are the Commitee's objectives? And what are the biggest challenges to reaching these goals?
Our goal is to insert women in the sector, in management and operation, and expanding their access to innovations, through sustainable practices. We do not think of the issue of women in the sector, as a theme of "fashion" or as "short-lived". It is a serious work that we are doing to make this result come in a sustainable way.
The biggest challenge was the Covid-19 pandemic, because our Committee was launched on March 7, 2020, at an event at Fatec-SP (São Paulo State Technological College), and soon after everything closed... So we started working online, with meetings and events, which made it difficult to participate. But we didn't give up. To evolve we decided to do a survey to understand the profile of women in the sector and their expectations
The essence of the Women's Committee of ABRAVA by Priscila Baioco:
"Abrava's Women's Committee joins forces to work on gender equality in the HVAC-R sector, so that there are opportunities for everyone!"
Talk about what motivates you in this job as president of the Women's Committee of the ABRAVA...
Thinking about business... It is to bring innovation and all the positive results of gender equality to companies in the sector. And, thinking of people, is to see more women achieving their goals and managing to develop in the HVAC-R sector.
