How Susi Rojo is shaking up an all-male team

Susi walks briskly through the light-filled building - weaving her way between bookshelves, up and down the stairs - as she explains what she’s here to do today. Given how well she knows her way around, you’d think she worked here every day. But that’s a misconception. “We’re only here this week. With a team of six to eight people, we’re cleaning the carpets throughout the entire library. But I was here six months ago, too - that’s when we cleaned the windows,” explains the professional cleaner. She speaks with particular enthusiasm about her license to operate the aerial lift, which allows her to clean building facades at dizzying heights.

Susi is originally from Bolivia; she came to Switzerland in 2003 and initially worked in private households. In 2010, she switched to maintenance cleaning, and finally, in 2021, to specialized cleaning. “I can’t even imagine working in the same place every day anymore. Over the past few weeks, we’ve cleaned the glass facade at one client’s site, done post-construction cleaning at another, and now we’re here. I really enjoy this variety.”

Susi joined ISS in July 2024. When she realized she was joining a team of 19 men, she was a bit surprised - but it didn’t bother her in the least. Team leader Pedro Cardoso remembers it well: “I think the guys didn’t make it easy for her at first. Suddenly having a woman on the team after so many years was probably unusual for them. But I thought it was great, and Susi does an excellent job.” By now, Susi seems to have settled in perfectly. She gets along well with her colleagues, the atmosphere is relaxed - and as the photos for this article are being taken, some of them keep stopping by out of curiosity. A sign that Susi has long been an integral part of the team.

Full Throttle - At Work and at Home

Working in specialized cleaning requires a lot of energy, and Susi has plenty of it. “I work 100 percent, and when I get home, my 13-year-old daughter is waiting for me. She has swim practice twice a week; I take her there and pick her up again. And whenever I can, I listen to music and dance along,” says the 43-year-old with a laugh. She can’t say for sure why there were no women on the Geneva team before. “Sure, we have to lift something heavy every now and then, and sometimes I struggle with tightly screwed-on cleaning product bottles. But then I ask my coworkers and they help me - it’s no problem at all!”

Pedro also thinks the team could be a bit more diverse, and things are looking promising: “We’re expecting a second female specialist cleaner to start with us in March. That’ll be great - a little more girl power on the team!”