Women’s revolution in finance
A conversation with Anna Tanganelli, Chief Financial and Information Technology Officer of Iveco Group
ENGLISH VERSION
For the twentieth edition of EmpowHER, we had the pleasure of speaking with Ms. Anna Tanganelli, CFO and Head of IT of Iveco Group. Her professional journey is one shaped by courageous choices, continuous change, and a constant willingness to step outside her comfort zone, while never losing sight of people, responsibility, and authentic growth.
From the very beginning, Tanganelli describes her path as a search for independence. Raised by a doctor and a teacher, she could have followed a road already laid out for her, yet when the time came to choose her university path, she felt the need to build something of her own. This led her to Milan and to Economics, where she discovered finance not merely as a technical discipline, but as a tool to understand the world and take part in the decisions that shape it.
Her first experience in investment banking at UBS became a true training ground for discipline, resilience, and attention to detail. It was an intense environment, where time was limited and precision essential, but also one that taught her how to read information quickly, identify what truly matters, and make decisions under pressure. From there, moving into the corporate world, first at FiatChrysler group and then through experiences at Magneti Marelli, IREN, and ultimately Iveco, marked a deeper professional maturity: closing a deal is not enough; one must also understand its long-term consequences on the company, its strategy, and above all its people.
One of the strongest themes of the conversation was precisely the ability to question oneself and start again. Every change in role, sector, or organization meant beginning almost from scratch, but also adding a new piece to her professional identity. For Ms. Tanganelli, growth happens exactly there: in refusing to stand still, in testing oneself, and in becoming gradually more complete.
This mindset also emerges clearly when she speaks about the energy transition. In an industrial and automotive sector, the question is no longer whether to invest or not: the transition has become a global and regulatory imperative. The real question is how to approach it efficiently. According to Tanganelli, the answer cannot be to place everything on a single technology, but rather to build a diversified portfolio of solutions: electric, hybrid, biofuels, hydrogen, and increasingly efficient traditional engines. It is a technology-agnostic approach, allowing the company to follow the direction set by regulation while remaining realistic about demand, infrastructure, and investment returns.
In a context marked by geopolitical volatility, energy crises, and cyclical markets, Ms. Tanganelli insists on a simple but decisive principle: keeping the fundamentals in order. Solid processes, a strong balance sheet, forecasting capabilities, and above all fast and accountable teams are what allow a company to react when the external environment suddenly changes. Longterm strategy remains essential, but it must be paired with the ability to adjust the course without losing direction.
Alongside the strategic dimension, the human one emerges just as strongly. Tanganelli speaks openly about becoming a mother during one of the most complex moments of her career, while Iveco was facing extraordinary transactions and a particularly challenging market environment. This experience becomes a message in itself: career and personal life do not necessarily have to exclude one another. It requires organization, commitment, support, and also the ability to delegate, but it can be done. For her, motherhood also meant realizing how important it is not to sacrifice a fundamental part of life out of fear of judgment or professional slowdown.
The same authenticity characterizes her reflections on women in the workplace. She recalls her first meetings as a young professional, when she would sit away from the table, almost as if she did not feel entitled to occupy that space. Over time, she understood that being invited into a room means having the right, and often the responsibility, to contribute. Her advice to younger women is clear: sit at the table, speak up, break the ice. Confidence does not arrive all at once; it is something that must be trained.
Finally, for Ms. Tanganelli, leadership is not about imposition, but about privilege and service. A leader must build teams, recognize talent, place people in the right conditions to express their potential, and guide them through moments of crisis. During Covid, she realized that a purely performance-driven approach was no longer enough: listening, empathy, and adaptability became essential. Because results can only be achieved when people are truly able to give their best.
Her story leaves a powerful message: growth means choosing paths that are not always easy, learning to live within change, and having the courage to occupy one’s space with competence, responsibility, and humanity.