How did you come to be in the print and paper industry, and what has your career looked like to date? So I started my career in print at Fujifilm (Sericol), working in the ink development lab in Broadstairs in the UK. I had finished my A-Levels and was looking for a position that offered the chance to study. I had two offers, one for a pharmaceutical company and one for Sericol. I was shown around the labs and application area when I had the interview. I also remember seeing someone do the classic tape adhesive test. I was intrigued by all the parameters an ink needed to achieve to be a successful product and started thinking about how print is all around us. It set something off for me, so I took the position, and I have been addicted to print ever since. I have been lucky to work for many notable companies and cover all topics, including ink, machine manufacture, printheads, and curing systems. So I have seen the full spectrum of the industry working in R&D, product management, and technology development. FOCUS ON / WOMEN IN PRINT Do you feel there are enough women in the industry, and if not, how can we address this? There are not enough women in print, especially in technical fields, and not enough in senior management positions. It is statistically proven that women are less likely to apply for promotions, and lack of childcare options, for example, sometimes limits their ability to work in more demanding full-time positions. Mentoring programmes are a great way to help women develop and push themselves. I would also say to any women in the industry to push the boundaries and not question their abilities; we are often too worried about what others will think or whether we are good enough! Who cares? Maybe you do not have 100% of the job specifications, but what is more important is your attitude and passion for the job. But that's not the only problem; we also suffer from an ageing industry and need to encourage young people to be interested in entering the world of printing. We should work together to improve this and show young people how exciting and diverse the industry is. What’s your proudest career moment to date? It isn't easy to pinpoint one moment! I have always pushed myself to do things outside my comfort zone, which is critical to moving forward. But if I had to name one moment, it would be one of the most significant risks I took, and that was moving to Germany to work for indujet/Marabu! I was proud that I had been offered the position to relocate to another country because of my skills and experience and was proud of myself for accepting the challenging task of moving alone with my children to a country where we had no connections and we did not even speak the language! It was also a turning point for me as a working mother, as before that, I had always been afraid that it would hold me back! But here I was, being offered this position, and no one questioned my ability to perform it, even as a single working mother. 37 www.printmonthly.co.uk May / June 2023 - Issue 342 Have your say on the latest news, as it happens news | features | archive | comment www.printmonthly.co.uk
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