Life at Winoa: Meet Paola Cereda


Employee Stories, Career Paths & Industrial Excellence

At Winoa, people are at the heart of our industrial performance and global success. Through this series of employee interviews, we invite you to discover the diverse career paths, inspiring journeys, and professional growth opportunities that shape life inside our international company.

From women thriving in industry to experienced team members who have grown through internal promotion and career mobility, from employees who have taken their expertise abroad to support our global operations to young talents leading strategic projects in e-commerce, peening, and aftermarket services, these stories reflect the strength and diversity of our teams.

Paola Cereda

Supply Chain Manager

Question: Can you briefly walk me through your journey at Winoa, from joining the group to your current role?

Paola Cereda : I started at Winoa more than 30 years ago, initially working as a CSR for export and as an assistant to the export manager. I stayed in this role for 20 years, and then I was offered the position of CSR Manager, managing a team of six people.

In this role, I took responsibility for export and domestic sales management, coordinating external warehouses and transport providers — essentially everything related to sales administration.

In 2018, Winoa launched C4C (“Care for Customer”), and one of the projects was DRP (Distribution Replenishment Planning), which aimed to plan and replenish inventory while coordinating all European countries under one system. I was given responsibility for this project. From 2018 to 2020, I fully committed myself to implementing it across the various European warehouses.

While my previous roles were mainly operational, this project role was new and gave me a chance to grow. In 2020, as DRP evolved, I joined the central Supply Chain team and now work as a Subject Matter Expert for M3, focusing on supply planning and inventory management.

Throughout all this, I maintained my original role in Italy while working on DRP and M3 (previously SR400, the former ERP system), balancing both operational and project responsibilities.

Question : How has your role evolved over time while maintaining continuity over 30 years at Winoa?

Paola Cereda: The first part of my career was very local, focusing on purchasing planning, supplier management, and transport management. Over time, the team I managed in sales administration was reduced from six people to three. Another major part of my role has become linked to M3, our ERP system, focusing on supply planning and inventory management. Even with all these changes, everything remains connected to daily operations each area supports and strengthens the other — which has allowed me to evolve while maintaining continuity in my work at Winoa.maintaining continuity in my work at Winoa.

Question : You work on long-term ERP implementation projects involving coordination with local and corporate IT, Finance, Supply Chain teams, external partners, training and testing with local teams. Why is this approach important?

Paola Cereda: I find it really interesting to work on projects where I can leave a legacy in an area I know very well. It’s also a great way to learn and grow when taking on new roles.

These projects give me the chance to return to daily operations and look at them with fresh eyes. Seeing different points of view from IT, Finance, Supply Chain, and local teams is always valuable — it’s an opportunity, not a constraint.

I’ve always been curious and interested in new challenges, and I prefer tackling meaningful projects over routine tasks, which makes this kind of work very motivating for me.

 

New challenges can be complex to manage, but they force you to stay active, open, and dynamic. It is better to face commitment than postpone it. For some people this can feel comfortable; for others it can be more demanding  but it keeps you engaged.”

Opportunity & Attractiveness Angle

Question : Why is Winoa a good place for people who want to build long-term impact?

Paola Cereda: After 30 years at Winoa, I’ve realized that the key is being able to stay in the same company while changing roles internally, growing professionally, and gaining new perspectives rather than focusing on a single task.

The work is never repetitive — there are always new ideas and stimuli. Projects like the ERP implementation (SR400 → M3) offered major growth opportunities, where everything I had learned before became useful for new responsibilities.

At Winoa, you often leave your comfort zone, but you can rely on your experience to take on new challenges. There are plenty of opportunities for professional growth, and it’s not only about career development — human values like security and sustainable development are also important. Winoa is not an old company; it’s continuously evolving.