Women’s participation in STEM Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) is essential for gender equity and women’s empowerment in 2023 and beyond. In this enriching, interactive panel discussion complete with breakout sessions and live Q&A, the three panelists discussed how to:
- overcome misconceptions (e.g. that gender parity in STEM has been achieved)
- identify and engage the right internal stakeholders for maximum success
- monitor performance and create meaningful KPIs
- communicate about activities and achievements
- win over sceptics and engage male allies
All of these points of discussion were used to challenge preconceived biases, improve industry standards, and make ERGs a fully inclusive resource.
Meet the Speakers
Audrey David,
Site Capital Lead, Takeda, Belgium
Audrey David has a Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering and currently serves as the Site Capital Lead for Takeda in Belgium. Over the course of her 12 years working in the pharmaceutical industry, she has taken on roles of increasing leadership responsibilities within quality, maintenance, CQV, and capital management. With each new role, she leveraged it as an opportunity to take on unique challenges, building strong teams, and to learn and develop meaningful relationships.
As a female mechanical engineer thriving in multiple technical fields, Audrey feels it is important for her to continue to encourage more women to pursue STEM degrees and apply in these exciting fields. She is also a firm advocate that it is up to all of us to turn our experiences into learning opportunities and successes, with resilience, assertiveness and passion.
Key elements which drive her purpose are: meaningful commitments, innovative environments, and pioneering technologies.
Carlos Heldwein,
Quality Engineering Leader, King Agro, Spain
Carlos Heldwein is an electrical engineer with a postgraduate degree in business management from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, Brazil). He worked as a postgraduate professor for 6 years and has more than 27 years of industry experience in the areas of engineering and operations, 17 of them in management positions. Carlos is currently the Quality Engineering Leader at the company King Agro. Passionate about the topic of Diversity, Equity and inclusion, he is a member of the Society of Women Engineers. He launched the SWE Valencia Affiliate and acts as its main contact in addition to being a sponsor of an affiliate in Brazil. He enjoys running, traveling and model trains.
Kimberley Telemacque,
Tech Ops Project Management and Cybersecurity Engineer, Cummins, UK
Kimberley Telemacque supports the Global Technical Operation Excellence team at Cummins Inc. as a Cybersecurity Engineer and manages key improvement projects within the technical organization. Kimberley graduated from Midwestern State University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. She is currently Six Sigma Yellow Belt certified and is in the process of completing her Green Belt certification. She enjoys creating artwork and has a passion for art and culture. Additionally, Kimberley enjoys being involved in the community where she drives a culture of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
