Women in STEM careers: “We will be inspiration and will generate confidence in those who choose to follow this path”
Since Nabiax started its operations in 2019, equality of opportunities by gender has always been a priority, specially as the company operates in an industry which has been historically male-focused. This is reflected in the evolution of the company’s team, which had a 30% of female employees in 2019, being today 41%. In the case of the operations team, women represent a 60% of the team.
In the International Women’s Day, we have interviewed the latest addition to our Operations team in Spain: Angélica Vielma (Venezuela, 1996), who is an Industrial Engineer. She speaks about her vision of the role of women in STEM careers, and specially in the Engineering area.
Q: Which is your general vision of the presence of Women in STEM? Do you identify any changes in the last few years?
A: I believe more women choose to develop a professional career in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. Without a doubt, there has been a notorious change in the past years, living in a society that has made a lot of progress in gender equality matters. Despite these efforts, there is still a long way to go, and it is necessary to eliminate certain stereotypes that made harder for the previous generations to study these careers, considered more male-focused.
Q: What role will women play in this particular segment in the future?
A: Women will have more a more presence in positions of high responsibility in most disciplines. We will be inspiration and we will generate confidence in other women who choose to follow this path.
Q: Do you see any progress in equality and inclusion policies in the companies? Which strengths and improvement areas do you identify?
A: There is a clear commitment in these matters from the enterprises. Most of them have implemented measures towards having diverse people int heir teams, which provide a variety of experiences and perspectives that allow them to have a wider view. This is very valuable in a global context.
Despite all of it, it is not only a matter of hiring diverse talent, but of having an active listening attitude and fostering a working environment that guarantees equality and respect.
Q: How do you want to develop your career as an Engineer?
A: My desire is to keep working in Engineering positions, as long as it keeps allowing me to develop my skills and keep learning both personal and professionally.
Talent, the key to equality… and Environment
In 2021, Nabiax wanted to strengthen its ties to gender equality, linking a sustainable financing project to 3 ESG indicators, amongst which we find equal hiring policies. Thus, the company committed to having at least 50% of new hirings of women.
Eva Mora, Chief People & Culture Officer, highlighted the relevance of having a diverse team in many ambits, such as gender, nationality or age, among others. Additionally, the executive pointed out the efforts made to set up a team of these characteristics: “In Nabiax we have bet on incorporating young women who want to develop their careers with us, and that we can introduce to a sector that has been historically male-focused. Even if this presents difficulties, as these profiles are still scarce, we are very proud of what we have achieved during this time”.
For Nabiax, having a capable and diverse team is key towards facing the future with guarantees. Because of this, talent is key to achieve ESG goals, in equality, but also in environmental impact, which is another big commitment for the company.