Interview of Sangeeta Wij (10/01/2012)

 

·         1st PART: Woman’s history comprehension/understanding

o   Can you present yourself in a few words and explain us what is your job/responsibilities?

I’m the managing director of the structural/architectural department of Prime SD Engg. Consultants Ltd, a consultant firm which answers with a complete solution (architectural, structural design…) to the needs of private or public clients who want to construct a building.

Before being in this company, I was heading as creator and head manager a civil engineering consulting company. I was the first woman to be entrepreneur in this field in India.

o   What is your involvement in associations for women engineers?

I have been also always interested in the subject of the involvement of women in engineering. Since 3 years, we created with some friend, who also are  ladies engineers, a group of thinking. As I was the first woman in India to create a civil engineering company, I was invited to meet people in the world, traveled a lot, made some contacts, and discovered WISE association. in 2009 we launched the first Indian antenna of WISE, and I became its first president.

o   How did you come to engineering and sciences?

My parents had to immigrate to India from Pakistan when this country was separated of India, they had nothing when they arrived in New Dehli and life was not easy everyday. Education was very important for them. They wanted us to be successful, and to have an easier life compared to what they had in India. My three brothers and I were very keen on studying. Doctor and engineer studies are considered being the best orientation in India, so as a good student I instinctively chose engineering. My brother and me entered the college in the same class the same year. We were working hard.

  o   Did you have to face any difficulty as a woman in your studies/in your job? Or do you think being  a women facilitated it?

I didn’t have to face any difficulty during my studies. We were only 5 girls for 250 students but professors, others students and my parents were very supportive. I got even top marks in technical manual specialty. And even if some students would annoy me, my brother in the same class would have helped me (laughs)!

However when you begin, you have to work a lot as a women, maybe more than a man, to prove you are a professional and to be accepted by experts, then if you work hard you get recognition and you don’t have any problems.

In the field of consulting more precisely but not because I was a woman, I had to face a financial problem : in India the  architects are paid by the client and are the one who pay engineering companies, so it’s difficult to make a lot of money. That’s why today I work in a company witch gather architects and engineers.

o   How do you conciliate professional and personal life?

I don’t have any problem, except maybe when I have to travel for some days. Now it’s no more a problem because my children are older, but before when I traveled for some conferences in the world it was a bit difficult. I had an arranged wedding and I have a very supportive husband who takes care of the family when I’m not home. I’m proud of my children and try the best to help them to make good choices for their professional life. By the way, my grand father was civil engineer, I’m a civil engineer, and my son is too! Now he is finishing his studies in Cardiff. Tonight I will help him to pack because he’s going back to England; I’ll cook for him and put the meals in little boxes to take away in his luggage!

o   Could you tell us professional realizations you are proud of?

I’m really proud of a project I participated as a structural engineer, Jindal Power plant. (100 feet tall, made of stainless steel, raigarh?)

·         2nd PART:  General debate on woman engineer: differences and new things a woman can bring in a male team

o   Do you think men and women work differently?

Could you give us concrete examples (personal works, project works)?

Yes, I don’t want to do generalizations but I think some qualities are more characteristics of women or men. I think that women have sincerity/sensivity, flexibility and multitasking, more than men.

I noticed that women communicate with more sincerity, say the things how they are, and are more sensitive about personal issues.

Concerning flexibility, I would say women are more able to switch with  different activities, or work environments. For example, in my last company I sent employees in Australia for a project, 3 men and 1 woman. The men where complaining about food, not having contact with the family… and not very active in conversation, and the lady really enjoyed Australia, traveled a lot and made friends.

 Concerning multitasking, in consulting, when you finish a project you always need to come back to it a few months later because of the questions of the constructors who are now building it. You then have to manage to give quick answers whereas on the meantime you keep working on other projects. This faculty of working on many projects at the same time is a particularity of women. Actually, I would say that in general women are better organized than men. 

On the contrary, if I have a technical precise solution to find, I would prefer asking to a man, more able to focus longer on a precise problem and so to find complicated solutions.

o   Do you think that a mixed team is helpful for working atmosphere and/or is linked to team performance?

Yes, I think so. I would even say that men are often working even better in presence of women, because they feel like they have to prove something.  And they also generally behave better, they are more polite and generally kinder in their conversations.

·         3rd PART:  Vidéo

o   Short representation

Hey I’m Sangeeta Wij, I’m a civil structural engineer, with 29 years of experience, mainly as a building consultant. I’m presently the managing director of Prime sd engineering consultant which is a consultancy provider. We have architects, electrically engineer, structure engineers. We do a complete solution for clients. My experience is this industry has been really satisfaying. At the end of my 29^th years of working, I can say I’m really happy with my work, even if sometimes I have to work late, it’s not a problem for me because I love what I do.

o   Which advice would you give to any young woman who hesitates to start engineering studies?

Young women, don’t hesitate to become a civil engineer, it’s a lovely place to be, because then you create something and you see the project coming up. When you see the project completed, it gives you so much professional satisfaction which is beyond words... The project looks good, it functions, and it’s a great pleasure.

It’s not a difficult thing to be in. You have to be focus, you have to work hard and to read a lot, but automatically it’s really satisfying.

o   What has been your biggest difficulty as a women engineer?

Initially when I started I did have some difficulties establishing my credential as a structural engineer. It has been a lonely journey as a woman. Not many women in India do this job;, you can count them on finger tips!

But when people realize that you’re in business, then they respect you.

Initially you have to work hard, to prove that you’re better and no less when it comes to part.

And then they start realizing your potential and respecting you for what you are. Essentially the quality of your work helps you to gain respect of others. So you have to stay focus and to work hard.

o   What has been your best satisfaction as a women engineer?

I feel very satisfied that in such an old time, women were not becoming engineer, it was not considered done thing.

I have left my foot print as a woman engineer, and lot of people know me in India, I have made a lot of friends in my fraternity, in my structural engineering field, consultancy field, I thing I have my share of recognition and respect and I’m happy to be what I am

Of course my job is giving me plenty of opportunities to travel; I have been associated with wfeo and fedec.

I don’t have any regrets at all.

Now I feel somehow that engineers needs to -at least if it comes to point out my own drawback- I think I’m not really good in money matter, I haven’t been able to manage the finance very well. That is a Handicap that engineering entrepreneur have to overcome.

They should do a project proper visibility of what they plan to do, focus on finances.

I had my own consulting firm, which eventually I lost to my partners because I was not a good money manager. It’s the only regret that I have in my life, that I couldn’t sustain or make it more profitable as my partners wanted it. I was not really aware of the legal/financial aspect. If you want to be an engineer entrepreneur, go ahead but being aware of all these things.

o   What is your next challenge?

I have just joined as a managing director of a new consulting firm which is less than a year old, so my next challenge is to make this profitable, take it to at least hundred million target that I have set up in the next 3 years. I’m working hard for this, to build a good team, to keep motivated so they don’t run of it, get the best computers, the best software for them, get them be training so they have the capacities built to handle large assignments so my company could achieve this target of hundred million in 3 years.