One of BAE Systems key ambitions is to be recognized as the leading employer in the defence and security sectors for valuing diversity equity and inclusion. So in celebration of International Women’s Day, Tanja Gandamihardja (HR Director at BAE Systems) hosts their Women in STEM panel discussion on the topic of this year’s theme ‘Embracing Equity’.
But what is equity?
“Equity is about recognizing that we don't all start from the same place.” Tanja says, “At BAE Systems we are all responsible for creating an environment where we're free to be ourselves and give our best. That means removing barriers, calling out inappropriate behaviors, and making everybody feel welcome. Creating equal opportunities isn't always about treating everyone the same, we recognize that some colleagues need more support than others to help them be their best.”
Joining the panel are BAE employees, Jo, Megan, and Grace. Jo is currently Group Engineering Director and Group Transformation Director, she has worked for BAE Systems for the last eight years and has over twenty years of experience in the defence industry. Megan is a Systems Engineer Graduate in Submarines and In-Service and is currently a third of the way through her graduate scheme. Joining them is Grace, a Manufacturing Associate Engineer at Broad Oak who has recently come out of BAE’s Business Admin Scheme.
So what was it that attracted you to BAE Systems?
Jo: Initially, I joined the graduate scheme back in 2001. I joined because I'd always grown up with my family working in the defence industry and BAE was the big name in the UK for defence. So I joined and had a fantastic time, left, and went to other defence companies but re-joined, honestly just for the sheer scale of BAE and the opportunities that you have throughout the global enterprise in defence here.
Megan: I joined for really similar reasons to Jo actually, I’ve got a family history in engineering and defence. Coming out of university, I wanted to look for a graduate scheme in a big company that would offer me lots of opportunities, which I think BAE Systems really is. You can do so much without ever leaving one company.
Tell me a bit about the support network that you found in BAE Systems, and how has that been for you?
Grace: From my perspective, it’s been amazing. My manager, early careers, the people I’ve networked with, the people I’ve had placements with, even though I’ve exited the scheme, they are still my support system now! From the Head of Manufacturing to the early careers team, I’ve had support with anything I’ve needed to raise. It’s been a really good experience.
Megan: Yes, it's similar with the graduate scheme, it’s such a great support network. I get random calls from the early careers leads during the week, asking how things are going and if I need anything. Being in a graduate cohort has been great as well. I almost started between intakes and was encouraged to wait a bit to start with a big group of people, which I’m really glad I did because I made some really good connections early on, and built a really good support network.
Jo: When I was on the grad scheme in my early career it was exactly the same, I was assigned buddies and mentors. When I rejoined the second time, it was a different kind of support, but definitely still support. There were things like training courses that I went on with people from across all the different business areas, so I built a network of trusted people who I wasn’t working with day-to-day but could still reach out to, which was really invaluable. And still mentorship, I’ve still got mentors in the business and out of the business today across all areas of BAE Systems, which I really appreciate.
How has flexible working changed the way you work?
Jo: For me, it’s a personal choice, I tend to come into the office two days a week now but I’m not required to. I’m in a head office role, so I don’t physically need to be on a site building equipment as I know some people do. We manage it very well as a team to make sure team days are on days and hours when the entire team is together so that people who work flexibly aren’t excluded from team events and still have an understanding of what’s happening across the business.
I really love the mix of being able to be at home to take the kids to school a couple of days a week, but also come into the office when I need a bit of a break, to do work in silence and to be able to come into meetings, see my colleagues and interact.
Megan: Having started after COVID, I think being able to come into the office quite a lot has helped me especially as I started in a team where I didn’t really know many people. Luckily, I'm in a team where they're on site a lot, and a lot of them are at the same site as me which is really great for building those connections. But, I think the way things were set up during COVID, like daily Skype meetings to still get those interactions has also been really good. So I’ve found it to be a good balance so far.
Grace: From a manufacturing perspective, we’re all on the shop floor, building the equipment, so we are those people. But I know that they’ve really enjoyed the flexibility, and I know I have. Instead of coming in for those sharp 6 AM starts they’ve been able to have that agility plus which is really supportive.
The technology that we have here BAE Systems and the products that we make are amazing.
What responsibilities have you had where you've really been able to sink your teeth into them and what have you really enjoyed?
Jo: I guess for me, I spent quite a time in the Naval Ships part of the business, where we do such amazing things, not only with the ships that we have but also with the combat systems that we put onto them. When you think an engineer is day to day just sitting tapping away at a computer, but when you take a step back and go, ‘Oh my goodness that's what that was towards!’ it really is staggering! Now obviously being able to step back in the head office role and see the breadth of what we do, it’s astounding.
We do something in BAE Systems called the Chairman's Awards where we sit back once a year and really look at the achievements that we've had. I always get involved in that purely because I love being able to see the breadth of what we've done in terms of innovation, in terms of sustainability, and in terms of how we really go about making our products the best that we can be.
Megan: So straight away, I was able to get involved in the stuff that was going on whilst still seeing all of the new projects coming out and which has been really great. Also with stretch projects I've been able to get involved with, they’ve really allowed me to come out of just what my team does and see some of this new technology coming about as well.
Can you explain a bit about the stretch project?
Megan: so as graduates and apprentices, we're able to apply to different projects across the business like emerging Technologies or maybe something to do with STEM Outreach. They then give us a little insight into something else in the company, while getting different skills under our belts. It's just been really exciting to do.
We have an ambition in BAE Systems whereby by 2030, we want 30% of our workforce to be women.
What are your personal experiences and thoughts on where we are now and have you experienced an initiative that will help us meet these ambitions?
Grace: I know within my area in manufacturing, it’s usually a male-dominated area but I haven’t ever been made to feel any different. I get involved in the same things that the other people do, so I think from my experience it's been really positive, both at the Dockyard and being at Broad Oak.
Megan: I found it quite similar and I'm in engineering. There do seem to be a lot fewer females in general but I haven't really been made to feel that I’m any different or have less reason of reason to be there.
I studied Aerospace Engineering at university which was also very male-dominated, I think I was one of two women in the final year, so it was something I expected. But actually, I was really positively surprised by all the networks that are in place and all the support.
One really great initiative that I’ve been able to get involved in, is the monthly coffee chat by the Gender Equity Network. You’re matched up with someone else in the company who you never really get to talk to, and that’s been a great way to hear from other women in the business about how they’ve got to where they have in their career, and that’s been really inspiring for me.
Jo: I’m in engineering too so have done the same things, like the Lean In Circles and Women’s Network. We’re not putting so much focus on ‘essential criteria’ that women then read, get put off, and don’t apply. We’re putting a lot of focus on bringing your whole self to work. The fact we can sit here and talk about our home lives as much as our work, the fact that we do have these great benefits such as flexible working that will encourage all genders to apply.
It isn’t just about the early stages of childhood, a lot of women end up caring for parents at the back end of their careers too. Putting in place all the great things that now exist, have really supported not only me, but lots of my colleagues as well, throughout the years. So it’s just astounding that a company of this size genuinely does seem to care, and isn’t about bringing numbers in for the sake of just bringing numbers in. It’s about bringing the right people in to make the right business sense.
So tell me, how have you been able to steer your career, in terms of the direction you wanted to go in?
Jo: I would say early in my career, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to be an engineer, I knew I wanted to design cool things, but I didn’t really know about the different directions, like what was the difference between an Engineering Manager or a Chief Engineer, or a General Manager of a business area? So I just took each opportunity as it came along and just made sure that whatever the next opportunity was, it felt difficult and felt slightly uncomfortable to me.
Then probably only about 5 years ago, I identified a role that I wanted, and that was the Group Engineering Director role, and I was open to it. I went and spoke to the person who had the role at the time, spoke to their manager, went and said “this is the role that I want, I’m absolutely positive this is the direction I want to go in, what are my gaps? What do I need to do to get there?” Not only did I get my name into their mind if the role ever came up, but also made sure in the background I was working on what my gaps were. So, I think my career has been working on stuff I enjoyed until I figured out exactly what I wanted to do and then going for it.
That's very good to hear because you took ownership of your career, you didn't give someone else the opportunity to dictate what your next role would be.
Jo: Absolutely, I think there's always people saying you should go down this route or this route, and from an engineering background you do sometimes get snobbery around if you're not doing that very technical Chief Engineer route, then you're not really doing it. But there are so many different ways that you can succeed and it's just about doing what makes you happy!
Megan: I'm still quite early on in my career, still being on the Graduate scheme and so for me it's really been just been about taking those opportunities to see what's out there, while still doing my role. I think the stretch projects have been really helpful for that, just to be able to see different parts of the business and the initiatives like the coffee matchups, to hear from other people.
One stretch project that I've done has been working with a local school to do a project there, and that's really helped me realise that I just love working with people and doing STEM Outreach. That's something that I will definitely try and keep in my role and something that I'll still hope to be able to do as I look at my future career path,
Jo: I still do it now I still go out to schools all the time and talk to kids about engineering and cool stuff and Girl Guides. It’s all cool stuff you can still do!
You’re an inspiration to all of these young girls in school, so continue to do that, please.
Grace: I think when I was at school, working in manufacturing as a team lead or transformation or even a project manager, weren’t really careers that were spoken about. There is obviously a push to go to university and go to college, but when I was at school the opportunities for an apprenticeship or anything like that weren’t really spoken about. But I really enjoy what I'm doing I'm hopefully going to progress, but I am really enjoying the experiences that I'm having.
What advice would you give to other women who are interested in joining our industry?
Jo: I can give you the real answer which is, bring a cardigan! I'm not even joking about that, because men have the office far too cold. But on a serious note, just do it, because it’s so much fun!
Megan: Just be yourself. You’ve been hired for you. You've been through the interview and if you've got the job then just continue to be yourself because that's why you're there and they've already seen something great in you and keep using it.
Grace: Don’t hold yourself back. I think a lot of women can sometimes be intimidated by the more male-dominated roles and actually, that's just not the way that we work anymore. You can go and do it, you've got the experience, you've got the knowledge, put yourself forward for it and don't hold yourself back!