INWED 2020 – Frances Pitkin
Celebrating our female engineers
International Women in Engineering Day 2020 (INWED20) launches on the 23rd of June with the theme ‘Shape the World’. INWED, now in its seventh year, is a campaign that brings together engineers and their supporters from across the world, joining to raise awareness of the opportunities and achievements of women engineers.
At the AqualisBraemar group, which includes OWC, we wanted to take this opportunity to praise the excellent work our women engineers do across the globe and celebrate their efforts to shape our world into a better, safer, more innovative and exciting place to be.
Frances Pitkin
Fran Pitkin is a Senior Project Manager in our London office, and her duties include the design, interface, quality and project management of offshore wind projects.
Why did you choose engineering? Were you inspired by someone?
I never really thought of engineering as being a man’s career choice. I enjoyed maths and science at school, and it was my technology teacher who encouraged me to look at engineering as a possible career. I then did my work experience at a civil engineering consultancy when I was 15 where I was mentored by a very talented (female) engineer, and I loved being out on-site and learning more about engineering. I never saw my gender as being a barrier, even when I was just one of a dozen women on my university course. A career in engineering, and particularly offshore wind, is creative, challenging and exciting, and it has been encouraging to see even more women choosing a career in this industry.
Top three changes which could make life easier for Women in Engineering?
I think it is important that companies aim to be diverse and recruit people from different backgrounds, with different skill sets and attributes. Diversity makes teams stronger and even more interesting to be a part of! I don’t think that quotas, positive discrimination or making ‘allowances’ for women help at all — personally, I want to believe that I got to where I am by working hard and improving my skills. I wouldn’t want to be offered an opportunity over somebody else if I wasn’t right for the job. I think companies improving things for women in engineering will benefit all people working in engineering. Things such as unconscious bias training for all staff, more flexible working opportunities, investment in people and their development, and clear career paths with no barriers or ‘ceilings’.
How has AqualisBraemar/OWC helped you grow?
Ever since starting work with OWC as a contractor and then moving into a permanent staff role, I have always felt very supported by my managers. I have been encouraged to take on additional responsibilities and progress my ideas for improving ways of working. OWC also has a great team culture – everybody is very approachable, friendly, and looks out for one another. It’s great to feel like a valued member of the team, and be given the opportunity to develop and make a positive impact.