Eleonora (U-Hopper): Hello Antonella, would you like to briefly introduce yourself and tell us how you get to U-Hopper?
Antonella: My name is Antonella, I was born in Trentino and I am mother of 2 girls aged 10 and 2. I knew U-Hopper before joining the team, as I stepped into the company and its founders during my previous professional experiences. After all, Trento is a small town, and it is easy to get to know small businesses, especially when they are active and well integrated into the local economic and social landscape. When I learned that they were looking for someone with a job profile similar to mine, I decided to apply because I had good and positive feelings about the company.

When did you join U-Hopper?

I joined the team in June 2022, after some work experiences in consulting and project management, gathered both in the public and private sector.

What’s your role here?

Formally, I am the Operations Officer. In other, simpler words, my taks can be grouped into four macro-categories: HR administration and management, reporting of funded and non-funded projects, accounting and billing, and - last but not least - keeping relations with external consultancy parties, such as labour and business consultants.

How does your typical day look like?

My day always starts by opening Slack and my inbox, which are usually full of messages and emails; after that, I have a look at my handwritten to-do-list, which I integrate with new action items and deadlines. And then it’s time to roll up my sleeves: Excel sheets to fill in, documents to draft, calls, invoices to send, financial statements to check, documents to review… it’s always a race against time! So, in short, I never get bored!

What do you like most about your job?

I have always liked jobs involving human contact and which require sensitivity and a good amount of empathy; here, especially when dealing with ​​HR management tasks, it is indeed a matter of talking to colleagues, listening to them and understanding their needs in order to help them. I also like to work closely with the company’s management board, helping them to make things work well and smoothly, from the most strategic to the most operational issue.

How does the corporate culture support you in your work?

Surely, knowing that you can always count on the support from the rest of the team is an aspect that I value a lot at U-Hopper; if I have a problem or doubt, I can just ask anyone for support. Moreover, I immediately felt appreciated and valued, and this aspect gives me the right energy to always run that extra mile which, especially in a small company like U-Hopper, is really important.

Outside your working hours, do you have any particular interests?

I do meditation, I love cooking and spending as much time as possible with my little girls. And, when possible, I also enjoy sleeping 8-hour without interruptions! It rarely happens, though.

Last but not least: name three words or adjectives to describe U-Hopper 😊

First of all, passion, because I met people who are passionate about their work. Secondly, I would define it as a young environment, which is perfect for kick off a professional career, growing and getting relevant experience in the ICT sector. Finally, I would say innovation, because we like challenges and we never stop creating new things!