Five skilled women, five strong voices
Hydro’s aluminium extrusion business in Europe is rich with talented women, and keeps getting richer. These five women, spanning different generations and hailing from various countries, are five of the reasons why. They offer a diversity of perspectives and experiences, and they inspire.
Aurélie Delouvrier, Beth Hewitson, Ulrika Kroon, Karin Lingborg and Bianca Rinderer have taken a minute to offer some of their perspectives.
Beth, what does “being successful at work” mean to you?
“I believe you can be successful at work by achieving your goals, making a positive difference within your team, going above and beyond and by maintaining a positive attitude. It is important to be valued and recognized for your commitment to putting in hard work, even when faced with obstacles,” says Beth, who works as Technical Sales Engineer in the UK.
Karin, how has your personal journey shaped your view of success as a woman?
“I have honestly never thought of success in a gender perspective. My personal journey has taught me to keep an open mind and to not back down from a challenge even if it looks scary – and that is big, considering I am a person who does not like risks. Just continue to learn and continue to grow,” says Karin, who serves as Supply Chain & Quality Director in Europe.
Ulrika, what role does work-life balance play in your definition of success?
“Balance is crucial in everything. Work-life balance plays a primary role in my definition of success, ensuring a seamless integration of professional performance and personal well-being,” says Ulrika, Marketing Manager in Sweden.
What are your thoughts about work-life balance, Aurélie?
“Time is the most valuable resource that we have, and how we spend it affects all areas of our lives. So I would say that work-life balance as a success factor mostly depends on your own time management principles,” says Aurélie, who works as Purchasing Director in South Europe.
Beth, what societal changes do you feel are crucial for ensuring equal opportunities for women?
“A societal change which has been crucial for ensuring equal opportunities is encouraging women to pursue careers within male-dominated industries, in my case engineering,” says Beth.
“More women are now studying engineering, starting at school where it is available and accepted. This is creating more opportunities for women across many sectors. In engineering in the UK, women are in the minority at less than 20% of the workforce. Therefore, it is crucial to inspire younger generations with women engineers as role models, so I enjoy working with the local schools, colleges, and universities to raise awareness of careers and opportunities available to everyone.”
Bianca, you are the youngest woman in this group. What do you see as crucial moving forward?
“Having modern leadership approaches are important. It is crucial that we adopt shared leadership models alongside flexible working time arrangements more frequently,” says Bianca, a Management Assistant in the German-speaking countries.
