This article originally appeared in the Dec’23 magazine issue of Electronic Specifier Design – see ES’s Magazine Archives for more featured publications.
Electronic Specifier’s Sheryl Miles reached out to women engineers, asking them to envision the year ahead and inviting them to share their perspectives on what they’d like to see change in engineering for women in 2024.
“More women sponsoring, collaborating and enabling other women to succeed, and organisations to create cultures where women who want to succeed can do so unapologetically.”
– Seemin Suleri, VP of Engineering at Prima
“Close the pay gap and have a higher proportion of women, as engineers, and in leadership roles. And to see sustainability efforts collaborate more with those driving for more inclusive approaches. We can do so much more together than apart.”
– Emma Crichton, Innovation Director at Engineers Without Borders
“I believe that it’s essential for everyone in engineering, and especially women, to recognise that if we want positive change, we must be willing to set the example in our own actions and interactions.”
– Molly Bakewell Chamberlin, President and Founder of Embassy Global LLC
“A serious commitment to fixing the Gender Pay Gap! … I would like everyone to start by NOTICING who is not in the room, at the table or on the team.”
– Michelle McDaid, Co-Founder, Trustworki
“Women receiving acknowledgment for their achievements and capabilities without thinking they have to outperform their male colleagues to gain recognition. And more opportunities for women in strategic roles to help shape the future of their organisations and break down the outdated mindset.”
– Cheyenne Powell, PhD Researcher, Aerospace Centre of Excellence
“For industry to trust us, so we don’t have to keep proving ourselves and providing layer upon layer of evidence. Trust and respect that we know our subject/topic and have made our decisions carefully.”
– Sophie Harker, Assistant Chief Engineer of Electronic Products, at BAE Systems
“I would like to see engineering organisations take ownership and be accountable for the statistics around attrition and progression of female engineers.”
– Tosha Nembhard, Programme Director in Aerospace Engineering at University of Leicester
“Addressing imposter syndrome and ensuring that women feel a sense of belonging in the field. With initiatives that focus on combatting self-doubt and building a supportive culture helping women recognise their value in a more inclusive professional environment.”
– Nada Lakhal, Field Application Engineer at NXP
“More sponsors – more people taking an interest in the development and retention of women engineers. Building real relationships and having a very good understanding of what those women in engineering need in order to succeed and enabling them to do so.”
– Lauren Neal, Founder and Chief Programme Creator at Valued at Work
“Digital inclusion. One third of the world’s population do not have access to the Internet … I want to see more women being involved in the AI development space.”
– Bolor-Erdene Battsengel, Research Fellow at Oxford University
“For it not to be seen as anything remotely unusual to be a ‘Woman in Engineering’. I would rather be seen as an engineer who also happens to be a woman, than as a member of a minority.”
– Helen Duncan, Project Manager and Marketing at Blueshift Memory
“A transformative shift in the engineering landscape for women … and to see a substantial increase in the representation of women in leadership roles within engineering organisations.”
– Fatemeh Hovizavi, Lead Application Engineer at EDRMedeso Simulation
“More women in engineering, science and technology actively influencing policy making and government decision making … and greater inclusion and diversity of thought in the debates on how AI will transform industries and economies.”
– Susan McDonald, Energy Transition Lead at Deloitte
“Greater promotion of STEM throughout schools and universities … reinforcing personal awareness of female graduate capabilities … further unleashing their potential for inspirational team work and leadership.”
– Deepaa Ganesh, Systems Engineering – Functional Manager/Tech Lead at QinetiQ
“To see the industry implement policies to improve retention of women in STEM, such as improving provisions for PPE in women’s sizes, rather than defaulting to unisex sizing which is typically based on men’s dimensions.”
– Natalia Adamson, Lead Project Engineer at Ricardo
“For allyship from engineering senior leaders to grow stronger and louder.”
– Dragica Kostic-Perovic, Chief Engineer at Ricardo
The Women in Tech column
Like (CEO) mother, like (CEO) daughter…
AND Technology’s CEO, Nicola Thorn, shared her experience of growing her consultancy which focuses on product development in the IoT. Nicola was joined by her mother Valerie Lynch, who is the founder of AND Technology. Diverging from traditional companies that use the patriarchal suffix ‘& Sons’, Beatrice O’Flaherty offers a refreshing account of this female-led...
Growth of women in the field of technology
The digitalisation of workspaces is prompting more women to join tech companies. In addition, the growing demand for pursuing STEM courses in developing countries has generated a plethora of opportunities for women at tech companies. Aditi Basu, Marketing Head at Future Market Insights, discusses the rising dominance of women in tech roles.
A rising star within the field of technology
Tulika Agarwal, Assistant Manager at KPMG, recently won the Rising Star Award at the everywoman in Technology Awards. Electronic Specifier’s Paige West spoke to Tulika about her career and the work she is doing to encourage young girls into the industry.
An alley-oop for women in tech!
Sue Harnett, a former professional basketball player, is the Founder, President, and Board Chair of Rewriting the Code – an organisation striving to support and empower college, graduate, and early career women in tech, through intersectional communities, mentorship, industry experience and educational resources.
Questioning ‘common knowledge’: the gender gap
It is considered common knowledge that there are many more male engineers than there are female members of the industry. As Electronic Specifier’s Sam Holland considers, the points that are less understood, however, are how the ratios of female-to-male employees fare in other STEM-friendly industries – and the reasons why engineering has one of the widest...
Encouraging the next generation of women to join the technical workforce
Susan Roche was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. She first came to England as a teenager for a year at the University of East Anglia during her degree. Needless to say, she loved it and after going back to the US to complete her degree, she came back to the UK to start her...
Women thriving, on and off the pitch
The UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 marked an incredible milestone. March 2022 saw the largest attendance ever for a women’s football match, with a record crowd of 91,533 in Barcelona. The final at Wembley sold out three months before the tournament even kicked off.
Transport for a Lifetime of career progression
Charul Gupta is the Senior Product Manager at Transport for London (TfL). She has won two awards, taught English and Maths to underprivileged children, built two robots, and is raising a family.
A woman’s superpower is to be seen and heard
Glenda Roberts, Global Projects and Marketing Director at Trifast Plc, is a woman with her finger on the pulse and her eyes on the future.
Growing support for women in tech
The word STEM is a symbolic one. It resonates with people for many different reasons. It is a banner for progression, forward thinking, fast paced innovations, and even faster innovators. Electronic Specifier's Sheryl Miles further discusses.
Technology allows us the time to be human
When working in a fast-growing company, there needs to be clear direction and structure. It’s not about dictatorship, but a network of equals, a conglomeration of adults. Technology is an enabler that affords users the time to focus on what’s important to their business – and that’s the people.
Believe in yourself, and anything is possible
It was whilst interning as an assistant teacher in a STEM school that Mengmeng Shi, AI Customer Solutions Architect at GrAI Matter Labs, first realised how accessible programming and robotics were to everyone. It was a realisation that changed the trajectory of her career.
Be the change you want to see
Suzy Dean, CEO and Founder of Addin365, and winner of the 2022 everywoman Athena award, has vision and ambition, as well as the drive and determination to be the best provider of internal communications technology.
Tipping the scales of inequality in engineering
Head of Engineering Change at XP Power, Sarah Mlundira, had always been academically inclined. Her passion for science and engineering was a prevalent force as she was growing up. However, at a time when she should have been applying to universities, Sarah was plagued by doubts on what she should study, and her place in...
The mother figure of engineering
Shi Marcos is a product engineer at onsemi, an intelligent power and image sensing technology company, where she has worked for the past 15 years – spending her first seven years in the Philippines before transitioning over to the US.
Building bridges to diversity
Molly Bakewell Chamberlin is a B2B strategic growth marketing, PR, and business development professional, and a subject matter authority in sensors and electronics. She is the Founder and President of Embassy Global, LLC, a 100% woman-owned consultancy, and a long-time advocate for small businesses, women in tech, and diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI).
Engineering the future for generations to come
The engineering industry is undergoing a transformative shift toward diversity and equality, and inspiring from the front is Dragica Kostic-Perovic, Chief Engineer of Automotive at Ricardo, a global engineering company.
Fincrime prevention needs women to thrive!
Last year, fraudsters across the UK stole over £1.2 billion through authorised and unauthorised fraud.
Empowering girls in tech
Bolor-Erdene Battsengel is a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, she was the youngest and first female to hold the position of chairwoman of the Government of Mongolia’s Communication and Information Technology Authority, and she is helping young girls in tech to shine.
21st-century women shaping the future of STEM
Women have been shaping the STEM landscape for centuries, and for centuries their contributions have been often overlooked. A trend that, unsettlingly, seems to still be evident even in the 21st-century.
What’s one thing you’d like to see change in engineering for women in 2024?
Electronic Specifier’s Sheryl Miles reached out to women engineers, asking them to envision the year ahead and inviting them to share their perspectives on what they’d like to see change in engineering for women in 2024.
Celebrating pioneers: the women who shaped our world
This article originally appeared in the March'24 magazine issue of Electronic Specifier Design – see ES's Magazine Archives for more featured publications. A blue plaque is steeped in history – starting in the late 1800s, the scheme is now run by the English Heritage, and is a symbol of how history has shaped progress.
everywoman and Bupa: championing Women in Tech
everywoman and Bupa have unveiled a report titled: ‘The Wellbeing/Advancement Equation: Solving for a Gender-Balanced Workplace,’ which spotlights the fundamental challenges and opportunities for women in technology.
