June 23 is International Women in Engineering Day. To mark the occasion, we asked some of our talented engineers to tell us about a woman in their lives who has inspired or supported them. #TogetherWeEngineer
Sandy Yimbo (BSc, Astrophysics; MEng, Geomatics Engineering): Sandy is an associate consultant in our Canadian delivery team. Her roles include developing Python and SQL-based automation scripts to improve data integration in Maximo, translating technical requirements into customized application solutions and optimizing Maximo workflows. She is also supporting the CalgaryToSpace student-engineered satellite programme.
“My mom is the strongest person I know. She’s raised five children while working tirelessly as a nurse and being the backbone of our family. Her strength and resilience have always been my guiding light.
One of the most profound lessons she taught me is that I can do anything I set my mind to. She would say, “If they can do it, why can’t you?” That simple yet powerful belief gave me the courage to pursue a BSc. in Astrophysics and an MEng. in Geomatics Engineering, even when I was often one of the few women, and even fewer women of color, in the room. She taught me not to be intimidated by male-dominated spaces but to walk in with confidence, knowing my voice and experience matter.
Her unwavering support has been my foundation, and I’m forever grateful for the strength and love she’s instilled in me. She’s my superwoman, and I carry her lessons with me every day.”
Gisele Marks (MS, Civil Environmental Engineering): Gisele is a senior solutions architect whose career has focused on helping owner operators to maintain the value of their assets and to understand digital technologies and the positive impact they can have on traditional business processes.
“My mother would seize the moments when my older brother and I were sitting attentively around the dinner table, to widen our knowledge. She ensured we learned vocabulary from the dictionary and introduced us to spatial mathematic activities such as tangrams. I used to look forward to these sessions but little did I know their wider purpose – to mentor us into careers in science and maths.
“My high school English teacher, Cynthia Baldwin, is also a woman who taught me so much. She provided a tsunami of inspiration and motivation – encouraging me as a teen in a rust belt town, to keep moving to better and best.”
Natasha Abdul (BEng, Electronic Engineering): Natasha, a cloud engineer, graduated in 2020 from Royal Holloway, London.
“At my first job in DevOps, I was fortunate to have a female mentor, Mandy Schoep. Her deep expertise in automation and DevOps principles, along with her confidence and problem-solving skills, truly inspired me. Seeing her excel in this field helped me feel more confident as a cloud engineer myself. It has motivated me to continually develop my skills and strive for excellence. Her presence reminded me that women have a strong place in engineering and encouraged me to grow into my career.”
Nadia Baheri (BSc, Mechanical Engineering): Nadia is a consultant for Maximo, IBM’s flagship enterprise asset management platform. This involves working with our clients in a wide variety of engineering sectors to build solutions that align with their business processes and optimise their asset management capabilities.
“When I reflect on the women in my life, I am in awe of their strength, resilience, wisdom and ingenuity. My grandmother in particular exemplifies these values. When she was a young child, she taught herself how to read in secret – as her grandfather, who was prominent, did not see it as a suitable skill for girls. She developed into an exceptionally skilled craftswoman. When her husband tragically passed away young, among tremendous grief she was faced with the dilemma of supporting herself and four children, as he had been the sole breadwinner. She leaned into her talents and purchased a knitting machine, to knit sweaters at a rapid pace which enabled her to support her family.
She was so determined as a young child that the patriarchal barriers she faced in gaining literacy did not deter her, but were simply obstacles that could be worked around. I also found it incredibly resourceful and clever that she was able to align her skills, and use technology, to scale and meet the urgent financial need.”
Cohesive, part of Bentley Systems, is a global leader in enterprise asset management (EAM), advisory services and data management solutions. An IBM Platinum Partner, we have deep expertise in implementing and supporting IBM Maximo, the industry-leading EAM platform.
Cohesive was named a ‘leader’ in the Green Quadrant: Industrial Asset Management Technology Implementation Services 2024 report from Verdantix, the independent advisory and research group. Verdantix gave us the top score, 2.5/3, for our EAM software implementation capabilities and the top score, 3/3, for our capabilities in managing the ‘people’ aspects of digital transformation.