Women of Steel

Jenny, a senior civil engineer tells us that you can be a geek and a girly girl at the same time. You don’t need to be a maths wiz, that’s a myth and that the best solutions come from diverse thinking.

Plastic surgeon specialising in Trauma and Microsurgical reconstruction, Lorraine talks to us about her 20 years of training starting from Bishopston Comprehensive in Swansea, the qualifications she’s achieved and how she’s travelled the world.

She was told on several occasions that she couldn’t do this job, which made her fight even harder to get what she wanted to achieve and she feels really blessed to work in this field and make a difference in the world

An engineer, and chair women of the Women In Steel network at TATA Steel, tells us how much she loves her job, how it’s given her the most amazing opportunities, including travelling the world and that the word CAN’T does not exist

Sarah, a consultant plastic surgeon, specialises in burns, trauma and cancer care. She tells us of her medical career, from initially not getting into Uni on the first attempt, how her mother inspired her and that her greatest achievement is being a mum and being a doctor. The key to having a healthy work/life balance is to be disciplined with your time

As a frontline engineer and now training the next generation of engineers at TATA Steel, Barbara tells us about the amazing career opportunities at TATA Steel for women, including apprenticeships and graduates. She puts to bed the myth that you have to be a man to be an engineer, explaining that there are no jobs specifically for ‘men’ or ‘women’, but there are jobs for ‘thinkers’.

Kate opens the box on the period poverty in our local area and tells us how she and a very small team on a volunteer basis, as well as working full time as a book editor, are making it their mission to make sure that every girl is looked after, provided with the products that they need and do not miss school because they cannot afford menstruation products.

Kate also explains how vital she has found having a mentor in her life and how it’s ok to change your career plans and follow your passions.

As the Chief Exec and Chief Digital officer, Karen has the most senior female occupied role in NPT Council, overseeing 250 employees. She attributes part of her success to taking risks, and that we should be open to learning new things and stepping into opportunities where we see them. Things don’t always go your way, but you need to pick yourself up and rise to the challenge.

Karen tells us how education can open doorways for you and you should never stop learning, completing her Masters at 50yrs old, whilst raising a family and working full time proves that anyone can do it.

Last year, the first ever female Chief Superintendent of South Wales Police told us about her role, her career journey from leaving school with very few qualifications, to now being in charge of hundreds of police officers across South Wales and how failing can make you stronger.

Jenny, a senior civil engineer tells us that you can be a geek and a girly girl at the same time. You don’t need to be a maths wiz, that’s a myth and that the best solutions come from diverse thinking.

Hayley talks to us about how she achieved her dream of becoming a West End Star and playing the role of a lifetime, Elsaba in Wicked. But it wasn’t an easy journey, the performing arts world is a tough industry to get into, but by holding her own, blocking out the negativity, having the support of friends and family she got there. She explains that women should believe in themselves more , believe in each other more and instead of seeing each other as competition, we should raise each other up.