Women in Operations: Meet Antonella Baima

Thirty years, one hometown plant

Having grown up close to our Turin plant in northwestern Italy, Antonella Baima had a long-held ambition to join Ahlstrom. “I always had this dream of working here,” she says. “Not only did I grow up near the plant, but my mother worked here too before I was born, before it was even called Ahlstrom. When I finally started, I was very excited.”

Antonella started at Ahlstrom on July 1, 1996 – this year marking 30 years with the company.

From the chemical lab to a global role

Trained in industrial chemistry, Antonella began her Ahlstrom career in the chemical lab, testing equipment designed to clean exhaust fumes from the plant. This quickly brought her into daily contact with the production floor, an almost entirely male environment at the time. “I was very young, so it was a bit challenging for me, and for my type of character too,” she says.

From there, Antonella moved into quality, and over the last 15 years has taken on coordination roles with a progressively larger scope, today serving as Head of Global Quality Filtration. “I really like having a global role because it allows me to connect with people from many different cultures, learn from their experiences, and share the knowledge I’ve gained over the past 30 years.”

Antonella credits the managers she’s worked with along the way to help her get there. “I received a lot of support over the years, especially in leadership training. My managers led by example and gave me suggestions that really helped me grow – not just professionally but personally.”

A race worth training for

Quality work isn’t always simple, Antonella admits. “People working in quality are often on the front line, with some challenging moments along the journey, but I like being at the heart of a problem and helping the team solve it. It’s a bit like a race, with many challenges along the way, but it’s fantastic to reach the finish line together as a team.”

That comparison comes from real experience. Earlier this year, Antonella took on the Liège–Bastogne–Liège cycling race as part of the Ahlstrom team. “The day after I said yes, I realized it was going to be a real challenge, because I wasn’t prepared at all. I only had four months, so I had to be very disciplined with my training. The support, shared experience, and motivation of the people alongside me were fundamental.”

 "I think it’s the same at work. We always need to be ready to start again from zero while continuing to believe in ourselves and in the team around us. The best part comes at the end: celebrating success and feeling stronger as individuals and as a team, proud of just how far we’ve come.”

Inspiring the next generation of female leaders

Antonella has seen real change in the gender balance at Turin. Compared with 1996, when there were only a few women in the offices and none in production, she’s glad to see more women stepping into operations and plant management roles today. She hopes this trend continues more widely, until there’s a genuine 50/50 split between women and men in the industry.

Antonella plays her own part in this by guiding younger women – such as her 25-year-old daughter, who has just started navigating the early stages of her own career. The biggest lesson she has tried to teach along the way? Be curious and ask questions when something isn’t clear, even when it feels easier not to.It’s advice that Antonella, to this day, lives by herself.

“It’s always better to ask more, because there’s no such thing as a stupid question.”