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Esterita Vanin
Technical and Administrative Staff - Department’s Administrative Office

What position do you hold at the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage?
I am the Secretary of the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage. It is not easy to understand what the job of ‘Secretary’ of a Department is: I basically manage the Department's administrative staff, coordinating management, administrative and accounting activities, services to faculty, communication activities, IT support and other activities that take place in a university department. My task is also to ensure the implementation of resolutions adopted by the governing bodies of the Department.

What was your background before Ca’ Foscari?
I graduated in law at the University of Bologna. After my apprenticeship I took the bar exam and for five years I worked as a lawyer, working with Confindustria Venezia as a consultant for companies in personnel administration. I then received a job offer as HR Manager for an Italian company that was later acquired by a Swedish corporation. Here I developed my skills in HR management. It was a very significant period in my professional career because I was able to work in an international environment, putting my legal skills into practice and acquiring soft skills.

What additional skills do you feel you have acquired in your current job?
The transition from 'private' to 'government' has not been easy. Working in public administration requires specific skills and the ability to operate in a system with constraints and over-regulation. My current job has therefore helped me develop management skills and abilities, and to understand the importance of lifelong learning in order to keep up in a changing and increasingly digital environment.

Is there anything you are particularly passionate about working in such a special environment as a university?
Universities are unique! Here we 'produce' education, research and civic engagement: the chance to contribute to the creation of efficient services for our students, to create the best conditions for teachers to conduct research, to support internationalisation processes (to name but a few of our activities), is a stimulating environment to work in. So there is nothing specific that I am passionate about, every area of my work can be a source of headaches but also of satisfaction. A very positive aspect is definitely the group of people I work with, who are of great personal and professional value.

Last update: 27/02/2024