Articles
Beginnings
I grew up in Caerphilly, South Wales, and from a young age I loved making things and played with Lego and Meccano. At St Cenydd Community School I was encouraged by my technology teacher Mr Self who helped me sign-up for a weekend engineering course at Lucas Brakes in Cwmbran. We ended up entering my GCSE final-year project for a regional award, and he also made me aware of the local engineering apprentice programmes.
1997-2000, Engineering apprentice, GE Aviation
My career in STEM started through an apprenticeship which was a three-year technical training programme containing theory and practical training where you develop a solid understanding of the engine overhaul process. I was one of just two females in a year group of 15 apprentices and I was given so many opportunities to learn and get involved in wider business projects. I was one of the only apprentices to complete my green belt in Six Sigma, and I think this wealth of hands-on engineering and technical experience has really helped me in my later career roles.
2004-10, University of Wales
While at GE Aviation I studied mechanical engineering at Cardiff, and I was the only female on the course. I loved the lectures there as they were fantastic, and after achieving a first-class honours degree I went on to study for an MBA in business administration. After studying I was able to progress through roles at GE Aviation in customer service and operations, tasked with managing relationships with major airlines and growing GE Aviation’s service business in multiple markets.
2019-21, Regional director, commercial field service, GE Aviation
In this role I led a team of talented engineers in four locations within Europe who support over 80 European customers, including leading airlines like Air France, to manage their fleet with a focus on fleet stability and reliability. I’m very proud of the fact that while in this role we were able to grow the market in Europe and also in Africa.
2021-present, General manager, electrical power, Finning UK & Ireland
I was inspired to join Finning because of their focus on their people and the work they are doing to upskill and engage them.
Finning is encouraging a more diverse workforce into engineering and the construction industry, as I think we still need to overcome the perception of careers in STEM and construction. People assume 95% of their time will be spent wearing a high-vis vest outside on a building site, but the reality is that this may only represent 5% of their time. A design engineer will spend 90% of her or his time in an office environment. I personally like the mix, where you can see and touch the product you are making. It’s real!
For me, the exciting part of careers in STEM is that the technology you are working on today will evolve throughout your career and the variety of roles you can have in STEM are vast, so it gives you a platform to build upon. It means you’re constantly learning and evolving your skills and thought processes, and personally I like this challenge and it’s what keeps me motivated.
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