Q) Why do you think awards like WLIE, which highlight women’s achievements, are so important?

I’ve had the pleasure of working with many brilliant women throughout my career and during that time I felt the industry needed to give them recognition of their contribution. WLIE is exactly that medium

Q) To date, what has been the biggest sign of progress for women since you began your career in electronics?

From the late 80’s when I began my career, few women occupied senior management positions. This is changing, as we see more and more women move into senior management positions, particularly during the turn of the century.

Q) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date, and why?

I consider myself to be very lucky as I was mentored by excellent managers, both men and women. The most significant influence was Geraldine Morgan, now retired. She held a senior management position during my tenure at Zarlink as Mixed Signal EDA director. It was a great pleasure to work with and for her. She taught me how to conduct myself at meetings, guided me on dealing with customers and suppliers and how to be an effective manager. We are still in touch today some twenty years on from my role at Zarlink. I consider her to be my greatest mentor and dear friend.

Q) Were there any standout themes that struck you amongst the entrants in last year’s WLIE categories?

Now you’re testing my memory! I think Leader of the year (industry ). We need more women in senior management positions. They bring a fresh approach in every area of Leadership, the most important being to work with people. Perhaps women just have higher Emotional Quotient then men do, and consequently are in tune with what is needed to implement positive change in the workplace, whilst being sensitive to how staff feel.

Q) What advice would you give to anyone considering nominating themselves or a colleague for WLIE 2025?

Firstly, I think one should be nominated by a member of staff or colleague automatically. One shouldn’t need to beat one’s own drum and if you do, you are not working for the right employer. Secondly, make sure whoever nominates you, you are in sync with their writeup and that they have captured the essence of your skills. Thirdly, make sure the writeup uses elevator pitch. Some nominators write far too much and the gem that is you, is lost in pages of words. Keep it short, to the point.

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