Women in maritime engineering

^{08 March, 2021}

To this day, women are underrepresented in many fields – especially in maritime shipbuilding. For the International Women's Day, we talked to Gabriele Zogs. As Head of Engineering Resources Management, the mechanical engineer looks back on a successful career in a traditionally male dominated industry. We asked her what advice she has for young up-and-coming female talents, who want to pursue a career in maritime engineering.

What excites you most about your job at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems?

I'm a mechanical engineer as well as a business economist, and I've had both a technical and a business education. That's what excites me, because it allows me to combine technical issues and facts with a business understanding. And that's how I was able to take on different areas of responsibility in various departments at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.

A career path doesn't always run smoothly; there are ups and downs. Is there a challenge in your professional life that has particularly shaped you? What makes you proud when you look back on your career?

I can look back on almost 30 years of professional experience. I have worked in a wide variety of industries, was once without a job, and self-employed for almost 5 years. When I look back, the most challenging thing was always to start something new: either a new field of responsibility, a new company or being self-employed. Yet, every milestone I reached made me proud.

Your industry is considered a traditionally male dominated sector. How do you personally perceive the proportion and opportunities of female specialists in your industry? Why do you think fewer women than men choose a career in your industry?

In my opinion, companies need to address young women proactively at an early stage. In schools, young women should be actively introduced to technical topics. Many times, young girls still grow up without a technically-skilled female role model, because fathers do most of the technical tasks at home.

Even at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, the proportion of female colleagues in engineering or management positions is still quite small, which is a pity, because in my opinion mixed-gender teams are much more successful. I think more women in leading positions could help to pave the way for female specialists in our industry. Therefore, everything should be done so that having women in management roles becomes something normal.

What advice would you give to young women and young engineers graduating university?

I recommend that young women and female talents take the advice of their older colleagues. Setbacks are part of life. So don’t let it discourage you if something doesn’t go as planned. Look for a mentor with whom you can discuss everything. Rome wasn’t built in a day: sometimes it is necessary to just shift down a gear.