Driving Digital Transformation as a Woman Engineer

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Each year Schneider Electric sponsors the Paris Marathon, one of the largest marathons in the world. I have always loved running and with the encouragement of my husband, I decided to participate. Though challenging, with some training, perseverance, and motivation by the swaths of supporters who cheered runners on, I rejoiced in tears of joy as I was able to finish in 4 hours and 38 minutes.

The race was symbolic of my love for running and my enthusiasm for my journey at Schneider – a place where I’ve grown my skills and leadership through the help of mentors and networking.

Roxann West crossing the finish line at the Schneider Electric-sponsored Paris Marathon.

A large part of that journey has been about finding what I’m passionate about and implementing change. Prior to joining Schneider Electric, I was a chemical engineer graduate and worked for seven years in process industries for a chemical production and water treatment facilities in the US, where I handled process designs and project management. While I appreciated my technical roles, I realized that I wanted a career path that offered more room for innovation and personal development.

As someone with a passion for travel and a multicultural background (born in Indonesia, lived in Singapore and the US), pursuing an MBA abroad in France seemed like the perfect next step for me. I wanted to challenge myself, broaden my horizons, and gain the skills and knowledge to make a meaningful impact in my future career. So, I began educating myself on digital processes by specializing in digital transformation.

During my MBA program, I was introduced to diverse disciplines in marketing and sales, as well as cutting-edge ideas like machine learning and artificial intelligence. This exposure fueled my passion to lead digital transformation growth, especially in the process industry where its adoption has been slower, based on my own experience.

I then began my journey at Schneider through the Process Automation Business Development internship. After six months, it exposed me to a broad network of people and skillsets that helped advanced my career into a new segments manager position for process automation.

Today, I manage the implementation and growth of new segments, including energy transition applications like carbon capture (CCUS) and biofuels, and diversify process automation from just purely oil and gas. We’re proving that we can address these segments with existing solutions while helping our existing customers with their transition to sustainable renewable alternatives.

By marrying automation with digital tools, we enable process optimization and digital transformation, making sustainable and efficient operations a reality. In my role, I helped mapped out the various challenges these segments/applications have, and where and how Schneider Electric can address them with our end-to-end capabilities.

But my growth journey through digital innovation is far from over. I have participated in a few trade shows and conferences discovering upcoming exciting technologies and applications. Recently, I was selected to be part of the Women in Energy initiative in the CERAWeek conference, a leading global energy event. There, I discovered several innovative topics on how to accelerate energy transition projects as well networked with leaders and innovators in the industry.

Showing the impact of digital transformation is crucial as it enables organizations to remain competitive and meet the evolving demands of customers and the market over the next few decades. For anyone who has an interest in innovation and being part of an organization that delivers step-change enhancements to the customers they serve, take on the next challenge, explore new options, and be curious to drive impact. Become a part of the digital transformation journey by applying for a role today.

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