International Women's Day 2023

Can you tell us a little bit about your job role?

As Regional Sales Manager for Midlands and North, I am responsible for sales of portable diesel and electric compressors and handheld tools and equipment. I am required to develop existing accounts and hunt for prospects that can be converted to new customer accounts.

I particularly enjoy the exciting part before the “deal is sealed” as I love to build a relationship with clients and work with them through the negotiation stage, where I must strike a balance between making the deal work for them and for Atlas Copco. Being presented with an order is the best reward; knowing you have found and secured the deal gives you the drive to look for the next

What advice would you give to any young women lookig to starta a career in your field?

Be confident and assertive. Being heard in a male dominated industry means learning to handle yourself in challenging situations by standing up for yourself and insisting on having your say. It is so important to stay positive and build morale among other employees with a good attitude towards your role – always support your female colleagues.

Keep learning! Use each day to learn something new, take every opportunity to soak up information and use this to build your confidence - Knowledge is power.

What's the most important piece of advice you have been given?

I have always been told to be myself and believe in what I am capable of.

Realising what you are good at is often a challenge and hard to accept but once you break this barrier, you’ll excel in all that you do. Create a career that excites you and allows you to succeed – always play to your strengths. 

What's your job title?

I am the Senior Planner for Multiair Compressors. I work in all aspects of the service office and planning across all 4 company’s within Multiair and our acquired companies Airflow, ACE and CAS. I like that each day is different which challenges me and keeps the role refreshing.

What's an important piece of advice you've been given?

That if you work hard and put your mind to it, everything and anything is possible. Set your goals, work hard at fulfilling them, and it will pay off tenfold.

Why do I think diversity is important in the workplace?

Diversity is important because it encourages new ideas and a wider set of skills across the business. It also makes our customer-approach better as there is always someone that can assist and relate to a customer, giving them a more personal experience.

What's your job title?

I am a service planner - I plan the field service days for engineers. In the short few months in my role, I have encountered a number of people who have been very accepting, kind and understanding. I’m part of an incredible team of people who make coming to work exciting even if we are faced with a number of challenges throughout the day.

What's an important piece of advice you've been given?

An important piece of advice I’ve been given is ‘if you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love someone else #rupaul’ – self-love is very important, especially for a woman, society holds us to a certain set of standard and if we can't embrace who we are, how can we embrace anyone else.

Why do I think diversity is important in the workplace?

When we work with different people we learn a lot about them in the process, every single person we encounter provides us all with something different – whether it be a new way of learning, perhaps a form of motherly love or even a friend.

What's your job role in the Atlas Copco Group?

I work for BeaconMedaes selling medical gas pipeline solutions in the southwest of the UK. Primarily this is into hospitals however we also support hospices, dental, and medical research facilities. My favourite thing about working for BeaconMedaes is the people, everyone is so supportive and I am part of a wonderful team. I love working in sales because it’s all about finding solutions and working in healthcare sales is particularly rewarding when you think about the long term impact on patient care.

What does International Women’s Day and this year's theme, #EmbraceEquity, mean to you?

There is a great quote I heard about the difference (and link) between equity and equality which is “Equality is giving everyone a shoe. Equity is giving everyone a shoe that fits” I think that embracing equity is really important when it comes to being truly inclusive in the workplace.

What advice would you give to a young woman looking to start out in the same career as you?

I never saw myself working in sales when I left school, I just knew I wanted to work with people. My advice for people wanting to work in sales would be to focus on finding the best solution for the customer. Build a strong rapport so you can ask all the right questions and listen deeply. I would also say, don’t underestimate the power of saying “no”, you can’t always reach a win win situation and it’s important to understand when to walk away from negotiations. I recommend you read the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey – This is something I read early on in my career and have re-read recently.

Tell us a little bit about your job role in the Atlas Copco Group.

I am a Graduate Project Manager at Desoutter tools, I contribute to the delivery of custom Desoutter solutions across the UK. I enjoy working collaboratively with colleagues and customers to get the best possible outcome.

What's the most important piece of advice you have been given?

If we were all the same the world would be a very boring place – so be true to yourself and stay true to your values.

Why do you think diversity in the workplace is important?

Diversity in the workplace can bring unique perspectives and ideas to challenges and distinctive responses to opportunities. Diversity allows individuals to challenge the status quo and allow positive change throughout the workplace.