Engineering Software Lab has commemorated the first decade of its operations in Serbia. It now has almost 300 employees supporting the Group’s teams based in Italy in the segments of public administration, healthcare, DigiTech, finance and energy and utilities
Thanks to my phenomenal team that achieves exceptional results, we demonstrate how foreign investments can enable young engineers to remain in Serbia and contribute to building a new culture of producing IT services, says Engineering Software Lab General Manager Gordana Glišić Morganti, who personally proves that IT is no longer a typically male-dominated industry.
Your company has shown that excellent results can be achieved through perseverance, enthusiasm and commitment. Are you satisfied with what’s been achieved to date?
— Yes, that’s right: perseverance, enthusiasm and dedication are key factors of success, but belief in what you do is just as important. A group like Engineering Group, operating in the domain of digital transformation, faces a highly competitive environment in its quest for resources with lots of talented people. Talent attraction therefore becomes a fundamental strategy to implement.
We are a strongly human-centred company, so we place particularly importance on our dedication to every team member, and to supporting their development within the company. Constant professional and personal growth is a strong motivational factor to all.
As a company that employs nearly 15,000 people worldwide, how big is your team in Serbia? What’s included in all the work your software engineers do in our country?
— Our Serbian company has now grown to almost 300 employees and works in several departments, which we call laboratories, supporting the Group’s teams based in Italy in the segments of public administration and healthcare, but also DigiTech, finance and energy and utilities. Digitech also assumes services to our Italian clients around SAP support. This work is all enabled by our support teams in HR and general administration.
Our engineers work as part of multinational teams, contributing to the overall success of the group with their work and knowledge
Our engineers work as part of multinational teams, mostly Italian, contributing to the overall success of the Group with their work and knowledge.
Does Engineering Software Lab serve as an example of how foreign investments can enable young engineers to remain in Serbia and contribute to building a new culture of producing IT services?
— I hope that we’ve managed to become an example to other companies. I can confirm that, with the training of young people for whom this was their first job, we have contributed actively to this particular cause. Hundreds of young people have passed through our threemonth school and have been employed since day one. For most of them, this was also the first professional door to be opened, so to speak, as they received a chance to work in the IT sector for the first time. As we all know – and which is perhaps even more pronounced in this industry – landing a first job is the most difficult career move.
On the other hand, working closely with colleagues who belong to another culture, even though it is a culture that’s so close to ours, represents an additional advantage in overall professional and personal development within the diverse and inclusive organisational environment that we have.
You head a phenomenal team that achieves exceptional results. Have you transferred your own passion for lifelong learning to the members of your team? Do they learn from your experiences, your attitude towards clients, challenges etc.?
— Perhaps it would be better to ask them. I certainly have done my best to lead by example and to share the energy and passion I have for all that I have been working with. What’s more, I am still learning! Lifelong learning is fundamental and Engineering Software Lab invests in it heavily.
We pay attention to cooperation with science and technology park Belgrade, the Italian embassy, Confindustria Serbia and the mixed Italian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce
Also, at least in my case, having an open mind, enthusiasm and dedication to the company and the people in it is something that brings a special sense of satisfaction that extends beyond financial recognition.
IT is no longer perceived as a typically male-dominated industry. Does that also apply at your company?
— The tech sector has historically been characterised by male dominance, and only in recent years have we started to observe a shift in this pattern. In our hiring process, we take into account the possession of adequate education, character traits and understanding of the corporate world. Although gender plays a non-decisive role in the hiring process, more than 30% of Serbian women are employed, which is a good result compared to other countries. We are glad to see that talent and gender equality come hand in hand! We place a high priority on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, as we think that diversity can only make any team stronger and I firmly believe that this trend will only continue, especially now that remote work enables far more flexibility and lifestyle choices and options.
Within Serbia, how integrated or connected is your company with other Italian organisations? Do you see systemic support and is this also the way to promote business and talent in Serbia?
— Although we do not have a market in Serbia, because we are export- oriented, we can say that we pay attention to cooperation with Serbian institutions, such as Science and Technology Park Belgrade, and with Italian institutions like the Italian Embassy, Confindustria Serbia and the mixed Italian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce. Our next step is to establish or renew cooperation with the country’s most important colleges and universities.