< Previous“As women engineers, we often have to face the challenge of operating a team or working in za field that is largely male dominated. Fortunately, being a part of Nippon Paint, we are given adequate management training to help us operate smoothly in a diverse environment. Being in the STEM industry, I do believe that technical work needs more women in the workforce as women have natural soft skills and a critical thinking mindset that engineering as a profession needs to advance and solve challenges that we face today. Women are also more proficient in communication and are better collaborators, have more attention to detail and can work with diverse team members to find solutions. Having more soft skill training at the workplace will definitely help more women engineers to feel confident in their approach and take up more leadership roles. When I need inspiration, I look to Mrs. Mi Mi Aung. Mrs. Aung is a Burmese-American engineering and project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). She is a lead engineer on the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity, the first extraterrestrial aircraft. And she was selected as one of the top 100 Women in the world by the BBC in 2019 and 2021. As a woman leader in STEM and Burmese national, she inspires me to keep pursuing my passion for engineering.” Mrs. Moe Thu Senior Colour Matcher, Production Department, Myanmar “I have been part of the R&D Measurements techniques lab at Nippon Paint Turkey for the past 10 years and every single day we are developing original ideas, working on recognising problems and developing new strategies. Being a part of NIPSEA Group, I have never felt that I cannot accomplish anything. I have learnt so much about chemical analysis, accreditation, use of multi-instrumental devices, and developing better customer experiences. So much so that in the last 1 year, the number of our personnel has increased by 50% and we have now become a department that successfully and flawlessly performs an average of 1000 tests per month. In the time that I have with the company, my team has grown to a strength of 6 and we are accomplishing so much together. While we celebrate the inventions of Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, we often don’t know that many key scientific inventions like bullet proof vest, car wipers and even the theory that supports wifi came from women engineers! As women engineers, we need to acknowledge that the participation of more women in the workforce is necessary to build a sustainable economic and social life and it is great to see organisations like NIPSEA support more women in technical and leadership roles through collaborations, exchange of ideas and collective knowledge sharing.” Ay ş e Güler Tulca Measurement Techniques Supervisor, R&D Measurement Techniques Lab, Turkey “Having a background in engineering allows me to challenges calmly and with a logical mindset. This problem solving and critical thinking approach that comes from my career in engineering is key to my current role with Nippon Paint Thailand. However, while my degree has prepared me for technical skills, I have learnt the power of team collaboration working at Nippon Paint Thailand. I recall an incident when we were working towards a product launch and we shall short of some raw materials. Immediately all other team members and departments stepped forward to help. Nippon Paint Thailand has also taught me the importance of the term ‘customer centric’ and now more and more of my work is based around innovative solutions that bring satisfaction to our customers. For women engineers to succeed, representation is very important. Currently, 22.22% of the engineers in my department are women and the number is only growing, which is also in line with the trend we are seeing in Thailand of more women representation in STEM fields. At the end of the day, women working in the STEM industry must be confident in their abilities and have the attitude to preserve. Only then will we see the best version of women leaders, researchers and scientists.” Sompatsorn Wongwilatnurak Chemist (Solvent based), Product development, Thailand“This is probably true for most women in the workforce that we often lead dual lives, one where we are expected to be focus on our professional development and another one where we must be available for our family. In this environment, it is essential to be part of an organisation that maintains a transparent ecosystem and a healthy workplace with policies that encourage participation of more women. At NIPSEA, we have an inclusive environment that promotes women in the workplace. This has allowed me to be innovative and apply my design engineering knowledge to trouble shoot several customer problems and even help Nippon Paint India to enter a brand-new market segment – Electric Vehicles with Ola Electric. As the organisation progresses, there is a need for more women engineers as we bring a whole new perspective of problem solving along with brand loyalty and perseverance. At the end of the day, women must always remember that you don’t have to play masculine to be strong women! Our thinking, creativity, ability to see things and forth sightedness makes us more unique than we can ever imagine. ” Nivedita Chaskar Senior Manager, Automotive, Research and Development, India “I come from a background of chemical engineering and the analytical skills that I developed during this course have helped me to conduct research, formulate new products, solve production issues and much more in my current role as a Technical Manager with Nippon Paint Indonesia. However, being a woman in the workplace is so much more than that. Often we are caught between the dilemma of work life balance. While we have to handle our professional responsibilities, we also have to manage our domestic duties, provide for our family and children. With this regard, I am happy to be part of Nippon Paint where men and women are given equal opportunities for growth and success, both in terms of learning new skills and developing our career outlook. That said, I would love to see more women pursuing STEM fields like engineering, as women not only possess analytical and logical skills but also bring empathy and sensitivity into decision making. This puts them at an advantageous position to succeed. At the end of the day, women need to be brave and strong and have faith that the outcome will favour them.” Citra Maida TU Technical Manager, Research & Development, Indonesia “In Europe, I am NPAE’s key person for new colour developments. As part of key responsibilities, I work closely with designers of various OEM about their wish concepts for exterior colours and help translate that into industry acceptable standards that can be mass produced without constraints. This role requires me to bring my scientific vigour combined with excellence to develop industry compatible paints with lowest compromise on colour effects, challenging me to combine my technical knowledge with out of box solutions. Being a part of NIPSEA group also means that I can leverage our global network to implement new ideas and share a lot more about innovative projects and technical solutions. In recent time, I also had the opportunity to work closely with NPAC Japan for 2 years and improve my skills immensely. Being able to work across different business fields matches well with my scientific aptitude and management skills. With this regard, I strongly believe that women are natural managers, and we pledge for more inclusive and diverse workplaces, we need to make place for more women engineers to strengthen our diverse team spirit.” Amandine Gautier Manager, NEW Design Colours and Colour Development, FranceINSPIRED BY YOU - TO KEEP GROWING As we move forward, we anticipate greater things in store for us. We hope that each and every one of you will continue to be inspired to keep on serving our communities while giving our best to customers. We’d like to hear from you! Please scan the QR code on the left to share your thoughts on this edition of the newsletter and what else you would like to hear from us. For latest business updates, happenings across markets and to hear from our leaders, be a part of the NIPSEA LinkedIn family. Let’s connect with each other across NIPSEA and continue to be inspired by each NIPSEA Group | Nippon Paint www.nipsea.group © NipseaGroupNext >