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Linking space to user needs - Meet Fiammetta Diani from EUSPA

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by Impactpool

As a part of Impactpool's March 2023 gender parity awareness campaign for women in STEM, we would like to share short employee spotlights from international STEM professional women working at some of the most important international organizations in the world.

Meet Fiammetta Diani, the Head of Market, Downstream & Innovation at EUSPA - EU Agency for the Space Programme.

Tell us a bit about your prefessional story before joining EUSPA.

Before joining the Agency in 2009, I worked for more than a decade in the private sector. As an aerospace engineer, I worked for a space company, participating in the design of satellite missions and initiating a new business venture in the use of space technology for daily life products for mobility and insurance. I also worked in the digital industry, in international business development. I consider that this “hands-on” experience in both big companies and SMEs has been an essential asset to bring to the Agency, learning what it means to develop products, create a new start-up, take a risk and manage clients' expectations. I would encourage young professionals to invest the first part of their carrier in very “hands-on” positions.

How did you find out about EUSPA and what motivated you to apply?

After a very interesting experience in the private sector, I wanted to join a wider project, at the European level, to learn from colleagues coming from different countries and backgrounds. At the time, Galileo and the GSA (the predecessor of EUSPA) were very young and innovative, with many challenges and high ambitions. I learned about the post in the innovation ecosystem, I was attracted by the growth mindset of the people as well as by the idea of the first European Union large project in space, such as Galileo, now, after more than ten years, a great worldwide success.

How does your usual workday look like? What are you working on right now?

I consider myself a privileged person because I can work every day on things that I love. I work on innovation projects that involve space entrepreneurs and innovators, I support them to grow their market and business and to make our European Union space assets more useful for people. As an example, my team worked recently on the “EU Space for Green Transformation” a tool that will help companies around Europe (in different sectors such as energy, tourism, and agriculture) to become carbon neutral using satellite images, precise navigation and other space technologies. Of course in my working daily life I cope with difficulties and frustrations, and the ideal job does not exist in reality: my secret ingredient is to keep always in mind the purpose and the final goal of what we are doing for Europe.


From your point of view, what set of skills do you find valuable for your current work at EUSPA?

Maybe the first set of skills I would mention is empathy and emotional intelligence: working in a European or internal context require understanding the different way of working, cultural background and interests and valorising this diversity. The second set of skills is the growth mindset, enthusiasm, passion and resilience: these are essential to make a difference and innovate in our environment. I am an engineer and a business person, so I consider of course essential to have a solid background, in my case in the technical and market areas but for other professionals, in their field of expertise (economics, law, etc..). We seek excellence and the best talents in Europe!

How would you describe your experience at EUSPA?

It has been a fantastic adventure: I learned so much not only from the challenging tasks and projects, but especially from the people I have the privilege to work with. I take coffee every morning with colleagues from 18 different counties, I have built a community of friends from all over Europe and I could grow my family in an enriching international community. I work in EUSPA Headquarter in Prague, a vibrant, culturally excellent central Europe capital that offers an exceptional quality of life.

Any tips you can share with potential applicants who are considering joining EUSPA?

Reflect very well on your motivation and why you would like to join EUSPA. It is plenty of opportunity out there, we believe it to be a special one! But it will only work if you think we are the place to be for your skills and ambitions but also if you share our vision and our value-based way of working.

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