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There are 1.48 million businesses led by women in Italy, equal to 24% of the total, with a growing presence in high-potential services such as healthcare, assistance, wellness and tourism and in less attended sectors such as logistics, construction and manufacturing. The economic-financial performance remains solid and the presence in administrative positions is also increasing. UniCredit data paint an encouraging, but still not satisfactory, picture.
In fact, the gender gap remains marked, as confirmed by another research conducted by Gamma Donna: 76% of female entrepreneurs perceive stereotypes or comments linked to their gender from investors, customers or partners and a large part are not immediately recognized as owners. Many are forced to choose between business and family with the arrival of a child.
The Women ONBoarding program
To enhance female talent and leadership, offering concrete tools for professional and personal development, the Women ONBoarding program is underway, the training course presented by UniCredit and underway with thirty pairs of mentor and mentee entrepreneurs, for the transfer of experience in a concrete and effective way.
«We want to be – declared Annalisa Areni, head of client strategies at UniCredit, at the recent presentation – an engine of empowerment, reducing the gender gap and providing female entrepreneurs with real tools to grow and compete».
Among the Sicilian mentors is Giulia Giuffrè, vice president of the Irritec Group of Capo d’Orlando: «A profoundly enriching experience, both from a professional and human point of view. I had the privilege of working alongside young entrepreneurs from different sectors. Over time, an authentic relationship has been created, made up of discussion, trust and mutual growth. The success of the mentees also becomes, in part, the success of the mentors.”
The 2026 GammaDonna Award
The sixth edition involves not only the women of the UniCredit advisory boards and small and medium-sized business clients, but also mentors from the GammaDonna association. «We have supported WOB since the beginning, six years ago, with conviction – states the president Valentina Parenti – it represents a concrete path of empowerment and growth for young business women, and offers them the opportunity to be supported by entrepreneurs who have been able to overcome difficulties and barriers».
And the association has just launched the GammaDonna 2026 Award, the national recognition created in 2004 to enhance innovative female entrepreneurship, which over the years has transformed into a permanent platform for empowerment, acceleration and networking.
«The real challenge today is no longer to demonstrate the value of female entrepreneurship, but to create the conditions for these companies to grow, scale and structurally impact the country’s competitiveness – declares Parenti – I particularly invite Sicilian and Calabrian women entrepreneurs to participate: in the South there are solid and innovative companies that can significantly benefit from greater visibility at a national level and a wider network».
The award, with applications due by 9 June, is aimed at female entrepreneurs who have introduced innovation through products, services, processes, organizational models or sustainable approaches. The Women Startup Award and the Giuliana Bertin Communication Award will also be awarded. The six finalists, selected by a professional jury, will be protagonists on the stage of the Final in Turin on November 5th.
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