International Women’s Day: AVEVA’s Miranda Ellis

Promoting the Power of Women

Posted: March 8, 2021

To mark International Women’s Day 2021, we hear from Miranda Ellis, AVEVA’s Senior Manager in R&D Special Projects and co-lead of the Women@AVEVA network. Miranda has worked in STEM for almost twenty years and has been at AVEVA for eight years.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?

I’ve been blessed in my career to have worked with so many smart, collaborative, and supportive people. The most meaningful aspect of my role is seeing how the work we have achieved together has impacted others. I also enjoy problem solving with my team – I love the process, especially ideation and implementation.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my career to date has been the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most inspirational women, who are part of the Women@AVEVA network, an inclusive community of professional women within AVEVA. Witnessing the positive impact this network has had first-hand is incredibly rewarding.

In your opinion, what is the best way forward to achieve better gender balance in business?

I believe for any business to achieve better gender balance, it must be carefully planned and implemented. Companies need to look at the whole employee experience, from recruiting all the way to retirement. They need to be critical of every aspect of that journey starting with their job postings, the interview process, and the environment and culture they’re creating, right through to their performance reviews and how promotions are orchestrated. To create a truly inclusive environment, it’s more than just having a certain percentage of women, it’s about making sure women are heard and given opportunities to be a part of that cool project or panel, or to be enabled as key players in the making of critical business decisions.

It’s also important that everyone in the organization understands why achieving the right gender balance is a key imperative for innovation and better decision making.

On an individual level, the little things we do every day can make the biggest impact. It starts with reflecting on the decisions we make, such as who we invite to a meeting or for a coffee, and how we respond to different points of view.

Another simple thing we can all do is take note of who hasn’t had a chance to speak in a meeting and give them the opportunity to be heard. We can take time to learn about others’ experiences and find out the best way to collaborate and share best practices. Finally, at AVEVA, having executive leadership support and mentorship has proved immensely valuable.

How is AVEVA helping women into STEM?

AVEVA has been very proactive in helping women into STEM. Our employees have volunteered to speak at schools, run coding programs, mentor university students, and lead activities at STEM camps.

AVEVA has sponsored collegiate students to attend the Society of Women Engineers Conference, and partnered with organizations that focus on encouraging girls into STEM, like the WISE Campaign. Just last month we contributed to the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM.

This year we have also partnered with Schneider Electric on the Go Green competition, a global contest for undergraduate students to communicate their ideas about how to make the future of industry and infrastructure more sustainable. AVEVA also organizes an Academic Competition each year to encourage more students into STEM careers. All these initiatives have been a great way for us to support women in the tech industry and to be role models for future women in STEM.

What are the key goals of Women at AVEVA and what milestones has the initiative achieved since its inception?

Our key goals at Women @ AVEVA are to provide networking, professional growth, and outreach opportunities for women in AVEVA as well as partnering with HR on recruiting Our three most impactful initiatives have been our Mentoring Program, the Mastermind Groups, and our involvement in the Corporate Partnership Council with the Society of Women Engineers.
The Mentoring Program and the Mastermind Groups have been a great way to create new relationships and a space to grow professionally. It’s especially encouraging for me to hear how these experiences have impacted individuals’ confidence, knowledge, and their sense of belonging. 

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

It’s a day for me to reflect on the achievements of women that came before me, and also a time to think about the difference we can make for future women in our industry. I love that everyone is welcome to celebrate with us and also encouraged to challenge themselves and make positives changes toward a more inclusive culture.