Celebrating International Women’s Day 2021: what it means to our team

Over the years, we’ve been striving for equality across our Endomag team to improve employment opportunities for women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). That’s why almost 50% of our current employees are women, far exceeding the STEM workplace average of 28%.

This International Women’s Day we spoke to some of our team to find out what it’s like to work in MedTech, what they think the future workplace will look like for women, and hear about the women that have inspired them.

Emma: I’m a Product Specialist for London and South East. I wanted to feel like I was making a positive impact and I feel very fortunate that the work I do contributes to many women receiving a better quality of care.

Emily: I am the HR Director at Endomag, which means I’m responsible for all aspects of employing people here. I joined a month ago at a really exciting time for the company and my focus is on continuing to foster a culture that allows people to flourish.

I believe that as we spend so much of our lives at work, most of that time should be rewarding rather than a grind. Companies perform really well when the people who work for them enjoy the work they do and believe in the purpose. However, each one of us is motivated by different things so pulling that all together to create a culture that supports everyone to do amazing work and enjoy it is a challenge. I really like that challenge!

Anna: I am the General Counsel at Endomag and work as an in-house lawyer. When I qualified as a lawyer, I initially worked in a law firm in the corporate department. I soon realised that, while I enjoyed working on transactions, I didn’t like the fact that, once the transaction had completed, we (as external lawyers) moved onto the next deal for the next client. I wanted to know what happened next for the business, whether the acquisition was a success and how the business developed. So I decided to move in-house.

I really enjoy getting involved in the day to day running of the business, understanding the key drivers and, most importantly, getting to know the people in the business. Working as an in-house lawyer is a great way to be involved in a business.

Kate: I am the Complaints Coordinator – I work as part of the QA Team. I originally joined Endomag as a part time office administrator and moved over to the QA Team within 18 months – I hadn’t worked in QA before so have had to learn a huge amount!

Karoline: I am the Office Manager at Endomag. My work is engaging, busy, connected, enlightening. I feel like I am part of something really good, and I feel very fortunate to work at Endomag.

Kate: I think there are still hurdles to get over. Women are still overlooked for key management and more senior roles and this is possibly down to a lack of companies which allow flexibility in job roles, to allow women with all sorts of different arrangements and home lives to be able to work.

I like to think there will be a lot more women in senior leadership roles in the next couple of decades. I would like to see consideration given to more flexible working to allow women with children or other commitments – such as caring roles – to be able to flourish and bring their hard-earned skills and experience to companies.

Emily: I think that HR should be a driving force for changing the world of work, and as a female dominated profession, I think women will be key to reshaping how we engage and employ people.

Karoline: Domination! Only joking. I think opportunities have grown hugely in the last 20 years, so onwards and upwards for the next 20.

Emma: There are a lot of amazing women in the industry, including surgeons, radiologists and reps supporting them who are excellent role models and inspire me every day. I believe women will continue to have a massive impact in the healthcare setting and will be more equally represented at all levels within these organisations.

Emily: I have personally been inspired by women like Laura Bates and Caroline Criado-Perez who, at great personal cost, have worked so hard to expose the level of misogyny, unconscious bias and disparity faced by women on an everyday, granular level. To have that information out there and being more widely discussed is a huge step towards levelling the playing field.

Kate: I am inspired by my friend who holds down a Managing Director role, along with many other non-exec board positions. She has a family with kids and a husband and is in the traditionally male environment of building and construction. She is always busy, never really stops and I have no idea when she sleeps!

Emma: I’m inspired by a good friend of mine, Patricia Walsh. She is living proof that if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything you want to. Patricia had a paediatric brain tumour which caused her to lose her vision as a child. Despite all of the challenges this imposed on her, she pushed herself to become an engineer, a Paralympic athlete, an author and a public speaker. If you would like to be inspired to reach your own goals and hear more about her story, I would highly recommend reading her book ‘Blind Ambition’ and will be amazed if you are not inspired too!

Anna: Actually, the woman who inspires me most is my grandmother. At 102, she is still strong, independent and fun.

For more information on International Women’s Day and what you can do to continue the conversation click here.