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Women in Leadership
Name: Epshipa Theivendran
Role: Graduate Project Manager
Company: Onwave Limited UK
A bit about you:
I am 23 years old. Having studied Applied Business, English Literature and IT BTEC for A Levels, I managed to get on to the Mechanical Engineering course at Kingston University through a Foundation Year. I finished university with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and currently work as a graduate project manager at Onwave UK Limited for the last 10 months.
What is it like working in your company?
Working at Onwave is a great experience, they have provided me with extensive knowledge and understanding of how their business works. I have been given many opportunities to showcase my skills and knowledge in various tasks and projects. I have also advanced my basic skills with the training they have provided. They also listen to my ideas and give me a range of reasonable responsibilities. It is a very modern company with great diversity and equality.
Why did you decide to go into your chosen field?
I have always had an interest in engineering growing up, however going to university helped me to learn more about myself which led me to discover my talent for managing and leading projects successfully from start to finish. So in the 5 years of being at university I refined this skill by putting myself forward to lead every project and group work while also completing the Prince 2 Foundation qualification. After I finished university, I decided to go down the Project management route for technology projects as my long-term career.
What qualifications and work experience did you need to reach your current position?
Showcasing the projects I managed and lead whilst studying MEng Mechanical Engineering at Kingston University and completing Prince2 Foundation helped me to reach my current position.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I enjoy working with a diverse group of people. I had an amazing graduate programme experience where I got to meet everyone in the business and gain insight in how their department works.
What obstacles have you overcome in your career?
An obstacle I faced in my career was doing presentations as I didn’t have much experience or practise in doing presentations at university. I overcame this by communicating this to my manager at work for which they provided me with the necessary training and got me involved in doing a few presentations at work. This has helped me greatly as I am now able to do presentations more confidently.
Why do you think it is important to have a strong female representation in your industry?
This is important as not many females study STEM subjects or get involved in technology related jobs, so having a strong female representation will encourage more females to get involved in these fields and be more comfortable to present their ideas and thoughts.
What advice would you give those wanting to take a similar career path?
It can be challenging at times to be the only or one of the few females in these fields but be bold and confident in what you want and communicate as much as you can because the world is changing. Women are making a lot of changes to workplaces and bringing their good ideas to the table.
