International Women in Engineering Day falls on 23rd June 2021! This year the theme is Engineering Heroes!
To mark the occasion, we took the opportunity to speak to a number of Engineering Heroes, who we have had the pleasure of placing in roles from all walks of the vast world of Engineering.
Katerina Kampouri, Solutions Engineer at Optibus, certainly knows the impact Engineering has on her and how her role at Optibus enables Katerina to have an influence society. Let's learn more from Katerina.
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What has the last year 18 months been like from a personal and a professional standpoint?
The importance of being closer to friends and family and living a healthy lifestyle are two things that the last year has taught us all. On a personal note, joining Optibus to work on something that I love, was one of the biggest highlights. My quote for the last 18 months would be “When you can’t control what is happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening. That’s were your power is.”
It was Mental Health Awareness Month in May and it Pride Month in June, what is the significance of that to you personally and in your role?
Optibus embraces diversity and mental health awareness. Equality, respect, and work-life balance are personal values and it is delightful to see that these are also embraced by everyone in Optibus. As a Solutions Engineer I have to create strong relationships with colleagues and clients. I need to feel comfortable to seek help or share my knowledge whenever is needed. Working with people who appreciate you and urge you to become the best version of yourself, is of outmost significance.
Katerina Kampouri, Solutions Engineer at Optibus
What are some of the Engineering projects that you have been involved with?
My background is in Civil Engineering and I specialise in transportation. I have been involved in several large-scale projects which include a variety of different fields of transportation such as traffic engineering, transport planning, crowd management and research projects in the field of smart cities and evacuations. As a Solution Engineer, I work with an amazing tool to help improve the performance of large transit operators in the UK and worldwide. Knowing that my work impacts people’s daily lives is the biggest challenge and, at the same time, the greatest pleasure of my work!
What are your hopes for the future of Engineering and women in Tech? What excites you the most about the future of Engineering?
Engineering changes the world to the best and technology uplifts our lives. Women are already contributing to the solution of the biggest challenges of our time. From designing new materials, finding treatment for new diseases, to the exploration of the outer space. I hope that in the future there will be more equality, diversity, and inclusion and that more women will assume leading roles in Engineering.
I am looking forward to the future of Space exploration, to see how scientists will work to develop new technologies to improve air transport and meet the challenges of advanced space exploration.
Do you feel that Engineering could play a bigger part in any other industry, if so which one and why?
Engineering is everywhere! Writing code to solve puzzles, building underwater tunnels, designing household appliances, flying drones to Mars are just a few examples of how Engineering touches every aspect of our lives. However, it is often the case that our industry lacks awareness of the challenges that people are facing as individuals. Looking for inspiration from industries such as the educational and the healthcare industry that place people at the forefront would greatly help to empower engineers to reach their full potential.
If you enjoyed the interview above and you would like to find out more about how Talent Point can help to build up your teams from within, contact us today!