Vita & Skirma

Freedom came with the job - not the other way around

The female management at our sewing house in Lithuania have directed the company from Russian conditions towards openness and courage. It would be obvious to write about Vita and Skirma and how they are some of the few female leaders in a big Lithuanian company. However, they find it difficult to see themselves in that light.

“We are aware that currently many people in the western world are constantly talking about the importance of women in management positions. It is also an important subject. However, we have always seen ourselves first and foremost as leaders that happen to be women,“ says Skirma, who ordinarily works as the plant manager in our sewing house, Avadan in Lithuania. Here we have 270 employees that cut and sew our DILLING designs.

Skirma started as a sewing machinist in Avadan in 1995 and has since worked her way up to the lead position. She also has a close working relationship with the manager Vita, who came to Avadan in 1992. If you speak of them as superwomen in a Lithuanian industry, which is dominated by male leaders, they become aware of the importance of their role.

“At DILLING, we believe in an open and trusting relationship between management and employees. We should all be brave enough to make mistakes, talk about them, and subsequently learn from them. We both grew up at a time when our country was under Russian domination. At that time, we were always afraid. We were afraid of the local leaders, afraid of the regional leaders, and afraid of the public authorities. They were also always men. Now we are no longer afraid, therefore it does make a difference that we are women who are brave."

In all the years Avadan has produced underwear, Vita and Skirma have been at the fore of production for the Danish owned brand DILLING. Becoming aware of the Nordic culture has had a big impact on them both.

“It is of course very significant that Lithuania got their independence in 1990 and later became members of EU, because we could sell in our country. However, for me personally, I quickly learnt a lot by working alongside Morten Dilling and his father Villy. The Danish and Nordic management strategy governed by trust, openness, and cooperation, was very refreshing to me.“ Vita says, “Freedom came with the job and not the other way around.“