Deutsche Messe’s 12th WomenPower Career Congress on April 21 will run in parallel with Hannover Messe. With the theme “Celebrate Diversity,” attendees will choose from programs in four areas: entrepreneurship, leadership, career and new work. Women in industrial automation are a minority of a minority; fewer women go into engineering, and even fewer go into automation. Diversity happens when they walk in most meeting rooms or conference halls.
“Women, our differences are what make us unique in the workplace and in the world,” said Jenn Donahue, founder of JL Donahue Engineering and leadership coach, engineer and entrepreneur with 25 years as a member of the U.S. Navy. “The way we approach conflict, obstacles and problems may be different from our colleagues, which in turn creates a diversity of thought and stronger teams. And I highly encourage any woman who is looking to enter the engineering or automation field to go for it. Realize this is what you were meant to do. Do not be deterred; find and harness your confidence; and pursue what you love.”
While events bring women together in large numbers, they often don’t interact with other women in their day-to-day careers. “What does this mean? It means don't expect to be asked to go to lunch,” explained Tobey Strauch, an electrical engineer with 20 years of experience in controls and automation who works as independent principal industrial controls engineer based in Fremont, California. “It means that when you are assisting in cutovers for transmission lines or cabinets, the contractor will ask if you are that ‘safety lady.’ It means that you will spend a lot of time repeating your words because no one will want to listen to you. If automation and controls were easy, then everyone would do it.”
Many students will drop out of engineering, and some engineers will leave in the first five years, noted Strauch. “Engineers as a whole are egotists that will assume they know everything about you, and they will assume that you cannot until you do,” she said. It can be easy to spend an entire career as a woman in engineering trying to prove and to fight, and this, she warned, can be miserable. Her advice:
• Remember, you are not a victim.
• If you have to eat an elephant, take one bite at a time.
• Say what you are going to do, do what you say, and document it.
• Do the math.
WomenPower Career Congress
The opening speech at the WomenPower Career Congress will be delivered by Dr. Ariane Reinhart, a member of the executive board at Continental, an automotive parts manufacturing company which pledged to fill 25% of all management positions by women by the year 2025. On this five-member executive board, two out of five positions are already held by women.
The program will include about 30 workshops, presentations and discussion panels. Highlights include a panel discussion on the changing world of work with Dina Reit, CEO of SK Laser, a manufacturer of laser systems for laser engraving and laser marking, and Professor Barbara Schwarze from the Competence Center for Technology, Diversity and Equal Opportunity.
A new highlight in 2023 will include the WomenPower panel on industrial transformation on April 17. Judith Wiese, member of the board of management at Siemens; Kamila Flidr, director of material information at Altair; Lisa Reehten, executive board of Bosch Climate Solutions, Bosch Group; and Dr. Frauke Reinders, head of sustainability management IMA, Phoenix Contact, will discuss decarbonization. Other highlights include workshops on building professional networks, speaking for podcasts and developing an efficient and positive work culture, as well as networking events.
