The increasing presence of women in engineering and STEM fields is a significant step forward, breaking down long-standing barriers and dispelling stereotypes. This positive trend is not only evident across industry sectors but also within Oliver Wyman. For International Women in Engineering Day 2023, we are proud to spotlight women colleagues who have varied engineering backgrounds and expertise across the firm.
Celebrating women in engineering is not just a one-day event. It is an ongoing commitment to recognizing the invaluable contributions of women and fostering a culture of inclusivity where women in engineering feel valued, respected, and encouraged to reach their full potential. We are committed to fostering and maintaining a diverse, inclusive, equal-opportunity culture that empowers all colleagues and business partners. We believe that every colleague’s unique contribution is fundamental to the overall success of the company.
Oliver Wyman Digital
Our Digital Practice leverages deep industry expertise to tackle disruptions and create impact. We expedite and integrate digital transformation through our culture of collaboration and transformative mindset. Our team brings together a wealth of industry backgrounds, encompassing a wide variety of expertise, which allows us to provide our clients with innovative solutions. Here, we celebrate a few of our colleagues who bring their engineering experience to their roles in various impactful ways.
More from our colleagues below:
What is your favorite part about working as an Engineer?
Xingyu Wu: I enjoy the constant challenge and stimulation from working as a data scientist/engineer. On one hand, there are always new technologies, tools and best practices to keep up with; on the other hand, as I am exposed to a wide range of business problems on different projects, I also have the opportunity to obtain various domain knowledge throughout the solution building. It is a continuous learning process.
Habiba El Rajab: To any woman embarking on her engineering journey, my advice is as follows: Embrace the power of taking up space and confidently assert your presence. Never downplay your achievements, and remember to grant yourself grace along the way. You belong in any space you choose to be in.
Yu Sun: The best part is always about using technology to solve various business problems and optimize diverse business scenarios. To really design the tech solution, I get to learn domain knowledge of different industry which is experience that are both challenging and exciting.
Yara Al Asmar: Embrace challenges, take risks, and seek mentorship and support. Engineering can be demanding, and you might face a lot of challenges along the way. Don't be afraid to take risks and learn from your failures. Connect with peers in the field, both women and men, who can offer guidance and support. A strong network can always help you navigate any challenge, whether it's a study group, your professors, your friends, or professionals in the field.
What is an achievement as an Engineer that you are proud of?
Lara Chikhani: One of my proudest achievements was reinventing a struggling product that faced high churn and low engagement in the market. It was an exciting and challenging project that allowed me to conduct thorough research and completely revamp the user experience, despite the technical constraints we faced. It was challenging to convince both business and technical stakeholders to make difficult decisions like eliminating certain features and switching technologies. However, witnessing the positive impact of the redesign and simplification on user engagement and satisfaction was immensely gratifying. It was fulfilling to observe how people interacted with the product and the improvements it brought to them. What made this achievement particularly special was the team's transformation throughout the process, as they embraced the principles of design, and applied them in their work moving forward.
Erika Yazid: Take your own path. Do what makes you happy, even if it doesn’t 100% align with what most people would pick.
Corina Callan: My most recent achievement was speaking at a large tech conference on Cloud computing. I’ve struggled with confidence throughout my career so public speaking was a personal goal for me. The good thing about engineering though is that it’s all about continuous learning and development. The field is constantly evolving and offers many opportunities for growth.
Saku Ramamoorthy: Be more visible and display your work. Don’t assume that your work will speak for itself.
Oliver Wyman Industries
Our industry practices in the Automotive and Industrial Goods and Transportation and Services sectors possess deep knowledge and expertise in these industries, enabling our teams to provide insightful guidance to clients on the evolving landscape of technological advancements, shifting trade flows, and regulatory changes. Through the synergy of our team’s varied experiences, we empower clients to think outside the box and drive transformative solutions. We highlight a selection of our industry-aligned colleagues here who uniquely apply their engineering expertise within their respective roles.
More from our colleagues below:
How does your engineering background serve your current role at Oliver Wyman?
Livia Hayes: Engineering is all about solving problems or looking for ways to improve things in innovative ways. My engineering background taught me ways to look at problems and think creatively about different solutions, which I have used every day in my career. It taught me to be analytical and also how to work across many areas. In my current role in Market Intelligence, that means using the knowledge and experience I’ve gained throughout my career to bring new insights to our offerings and expand the scope of our team’s work.
Tracy El Khoury: Keep going! The engineering field can be intimidating, and women tend to underestimate their abilities and qualifications, but know that you earned your spot. Be confident in your ideas, stay focused and filter out the noise; cultivate a support system, find mentors and definitely try being one. The field is such an exciting, ever-changing and rewarding space so keep going.
What is your favorite part about working at Oliver Wyman Engineers?
Elena Chiappa: My favorite part of working at Oliver Wyman Engineers is getting to work on technical projects across all industries. My background is automotive but through OWE I’ve developed expertise in other industries including aerospace and rail. The projects I work on as part of OWE let me take concepts or best practices from one industry and apply them to identify opportunities in another industry.
Martina Zhu: Despite the challenges that come with working in a male-dominated field, it is important to maintain confidence in your abilities and not doubt your worth. While it may sometimes be uncomfortable or difficult to work alongside men, it is important to remember that you are capable and can achieve success.
Get to know more of our amazing engineering colleagues: