Job Title: Strategy Director
Company: Europlaz
What is your background and how did you come to be in your present role?
Europlaz was founded in 1997 and is a family business. I currently work with my dad, but I didn’t grow up with a plan to work in manufacturing. At university, I studied journalism and worked in video production, marketing and PR for open access journals.
While working in marketing, Europlaz needed new assets and a website. Initially the plan was to join as part of a six-month project to produce these, but I never left!
I have always been interested in business and growing a company. Thinking back to when I was first in PR, I never felt excited about telling other people’s stories, but when I joined Europlaz, I found it so much more rewarding to be building something and telling our own.
In 2013, I completed an MBA with Cranfield University, after which I returned to Europlaz as Marketing and Strategy Director.
What has been your greatest challenge so far in your career?
When working for a family business, it’s your own company, but you’re not completely in charge of it. There’s no off switch and no ability to walk away, so you must learn to ride out the challenges and keep the faith.
This requires the ability to look at things differently and face any obstacles head-on while moving the company forward and bringing the people and culture along with you. Despite this it has also been hugely rewarding.
Another large challenge for SMEs, or any growing business, is the people. Now at Europlaz, we have an engaged, passionate, bright leadership team which makes a huge difference. Building the team and finding the right people who all believe in the business was a big challenge that we tackled well.
What has been your greatest achievement so far in your career?
Europlaz is an innovative and entrepreneurial company, and we saw an opportunity to build a brand new, novel device – a neonatal resuscitation monitor.
We believed in the product manager who had the idea and wanted to develop it. I took the lead on the 18-month project and we won a Biomedical Catalyst grant for £500,000, which was a huge achievement. We developed a prototype device that is currently being trialed at Barts Health NHS Trust.
The project is still in its infancy, but we have a lot of belief in the impact the project can have and so far it has brought many wins!
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Believe in your instincts; if you really want to do something, just go ahead and do it. Looking back there have been times when I’ve wanted to do something, but other people weren’t sure if it was the right thing and warned me off – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.
How do you think we can raise the profile of careers in STEM?
Getting more people into STEM is important and we need to showcase the opportunities available. Young people are now thinking about careers in technology, and engineering requires a mix of skills to make things happen.
Some of the stories told about great achievements in STEM are focused on one person, but no one does anything on their own; it requires a team and many people behind the scenes.
What is your favourite engineered/manufactured product?
The Babyzen yo yo buggy has been around for around ten years and changed the world of baby buggies. It is incredibly light, folds up small and is very practical. It made everything much more accessible and as a new mum, it has made me feel more independent.
I danced with the Royal Ballet when I was younger. I was part of the Royal Ballet Junior Associates and once Darcey Bussell came into our class.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in manufacturing?
There is a role for everyone, if you have got ambition and willingness to help and muck in . There is so much to learn in the industry. Whatever your skill set, you can find a role to use it within a manufacturing company.
