The manufacturing and heavy engineering sector has long been a man’s world. With their imagery of ‘gear, grease and grunt’, factories and shop floors were synonymous to everything non-feminine. While the manufacturing landscape has transformed over the past few decades with extensive deployment of new-age technologies, smart automation and digitalization ensures minimal human intervention and enhanced safety, the gender equation hasn’t changed radically. This deficit is even more acute in metals and mining industries, where stereotypical notions about operations in remote locations, skewed male-to-female ratios and questions of safety, heavy physical labour and security have kept many aspiring and talented women from joining the manufacturing sector. In a heartening trend over the last decade, we have seen women make inroads into several sectors that were once considered ‘exclusively male’.
What were the challenges you encountered when you began your journey in this sector?
Personally, I feel this notion of the manufacturing industry being a challenging sector arises from biases perpetrated by the society or psychological barriers within oneself. But I have worked in the manufacturing industry all my life, and from my own experience, I can say that I have never faced challenges on the job front, purely on account of gender.
What are your responsibilities at Vedanta Aluminium, and what are the daily challenges that come with them?
I am a part of Vedanta Aluminium’s BALCO operations, which is India’s iconic aluminium producer that was built as a temple of modern India. From its current 0.57 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) capacity, the company is undergoing expansion to double the aluminium smelter capacity to 1 MTPA. I am the Lead Planner for this growth project.
Planning in any project is like working on a neural network for it requires one to engage with multiple departments and stakeholders to establish clear communication channels, accountability and schedule of delivery. I also work with vast amounts of data which requires me to wear the hat of an analyst, piecing together the jig-saw puzzle to gain a holistic overview of the project. I also have to act like the third eye of the project, identifying key areas of concern that need to be addressed or critical aspects for the project that need to be retained or removed.
How has Vedanta Aluminium supported and encouraged women to take on leadership roles within the organisation?
After school, I pursued mechanical engineering where I was one of the few female students in the classroom. The gender ratio remained poor even during the time of my masters, when I was the only female student in the course. Throughout my academic journey, I always felt like I was the odd one out.
However, Vedanta Aluminium was a whole different ball game when it came to diversity and equality. The company provides ample opportunities for women to prove their calibre, ask for elevated roles, be part of many task forces, drive passion projects, lead innovation activities, and more. There is no bar to what you can do here!
Five years ago, if you would have asked me if I was the right fit for my current job position, I would have laughed it off. However, there are certain things in life that help you to realise your self-worth. In this regard, Vedanta Aluminium gave me the opportunity to reach my full potential. The company has always been welcoming of new perspectives, radical thoughts, disruptive ideas and lets people take on key responsibilities simply because of their passion and competence. Gender has never been a part of the equation. ‘Catalyst of change’ would be the right word to describe the role of Vedanta in my life.
In your experience, what strategies have been effective in increasing diversity and promoting gender equality in the workplace?
Over the years, Vedanta Aluminium has fostered a culture that celebrates empathy and equality, with employees at the heart of everything. The company encourages individuals to break societal and psychological barriers and push themselves to explore their potential to the fullest, even if it is not the traditional approach.
We have a very structured approach towards nurturing a culture of equality, which starts right at the time of talent acquisition. At Vedanta, all job roles, no matter how non-traditional, are absolutely gender-agnostic, which means anyone can be considered for any role in the organisation – from production, plant operations and maintenance to firefighting. The focus is on hiring the right talent.
Secondly, the company hires women, like all employees, for their attitude and willingness to learn, and sound educational and technical qualifications. Once on the company’s rolls, employees are provided with structured growth pathways such as classroom training, executive coaching, mentoring, and accelerated developmental programs to high-potential talent. All this in an ecosystem designed to ensure they are supported at various life stages.
The company goes above and beyond to ensure that job content is rich and meaningful, so that no matter what life stage they are in, women have enough motivation to continue. Our job roles are designed to be empowering and interesting. Our business is currently at a remarkable inflection point which allows for a lot of innovation, new ways of working – and a truly diverse and inclusive workplace that allows for unprecedented learning and a ringside view of global best practices.
Lastly, but very importantly, the company puts the wellbeing of employees centre-stage through their different life stages. Although our plant operations are located in remote areas, we have state-of-the-art townships that are well-equipped with all modern amenities such as day care centres and creches for children, hospitals, schools, stadiums, playgrounds, gymnasiums, swimming pools, movie theatres, shopping complexes with a vibrant social lifestyle, all conducive to a wholesome family life.
Why is it important for women to take on more roles in highly male-dominated professions, such as manufacturing?
One faces many challenges and unconscious biases when growing up, especially if you are the only girl child with all male siblings. It was always a struggle for me to participate in activities as basic as sports simply because I was a girl. Such restrictions instilled in me the urge to prove myself and let everyone know that I am as capable as any of my male relatives. It was this drive that got me to pursue mechanical engineering academically and take up a career in the manufacturing industry.
So, I speak from experience when I say it is extremely important for women to take on more roles in highly male-dominated professions because there is no challenge that is more fulfilling than this. Women should not shy away from the industry because of some preconceptions fostered by society. This is an industry ripe with opportunities for growth and fulfilling careers, across multiple functions – smelter operations, power plant operations, quality assurance, asset optimization, reliability, HR, PR, CSR, finance, marketing, digital transformation, IT, and many, many more. Where else would one get to explore so many functions, experiment with next-gen technologies, shape the future of an industry which is on the cusp of major transformation?
At the same time, from the industry perspective, it is important because a diverse workforce ensures more prolific ideation, greater innovation, a better mix of skills, higher engagement, better talent attraction and retention, and robust decision-making, all of which lead to better rounded solutions and greater customer fulfilment – the recipe for better business and a source of competitive advantage. Women form a sizable chunk of India’s workforce, and manufacturing sectors must capitalise on this latent talent pool for giving themselves an edge in the market.
What advice would you give to other women who are aspiring to break into male-dominated professions such as yours?
I strongly believe that no job is gender specific. If you are passionate and committed towards a specific career opportunity, you are good to go. By putting in your 100 per cent, you are as capable of excelling and achieving your goals as the male gender. Women are very capable of doing wonders, irrespective of the industry and the job. Though the metals and mining sectors come with their own set of challenges, if you have the right mindset, skills, and passion, you can overcome these challenges and build stellar careers in this field. After all, which sector does not have its own set of challenges? That’s what makes the journey exciting.
Any message that you would like to send to the women in the manufacturing/science field.
As a girl fresh out of college, there was a time when I was unsure about my capabilities. It took me several struggles to achieve this point in my professional trajectory where I am at par with my male counterparts in the industry. My advice to the women and girls out there is to embrace the struggles that knock at our door, for they are like opportunities to make us stronger. Dealing with adversity is one of the ways to acquire strength and gain a profound understanding of ourselves. It is only when we know ourselves, that we can love ourselves more and empower ourselves to excel.