“Prove Yourself as a Person”

On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, we wanted to share the career path of a woman working at SMA. This testimony is an opportunity to honor all the passionate women who work daily, for the energy transition. Meeting with Sian Higgins, HR and Office  Manager for SMA UK.

Can you introduce yourself in a few words? What is your background?

I am Sian Higgins, HR and Office  Manager for the UK, I have been with SMA UK since we opened in 2011. Before joining SMA I worked in various administrative roles in various industry’s some of them being Legal, Insurance and Electronics.

What excites you most about your job today?

My role is expansive and gives me the opportunity to work lots of different topics on a daily basis, no two days are ever the same, being able to speak to colleagues in different subsidiaries and HQ will almost always present an opportunity to learn something new or another way of doing something you may not of thought of before. I have a great deal of external communication as well which broadens my professional network within the Industry with all types of service providers and maintaining those professional relationships is like making new friends and catching up with old ones

How do you manage to impose yourself in the photovoltaics sector where women are in the minority?

I think to enforce your presence in an environment where women can be the minority not only depends on you but is also a responsibility of the business they work for. Working women in this day and age are career minded and as business focused and driven as their male counterparts. Within SMA I’ve never felt to be a “minority” and feel that my voice is always heard and more importantly listened to. We are all here with the same focus of wanting to do well for ourselves and for the business regardless of gender. If you are confident and believe in your ability, have the required knowledge a supporting network then I feel it’s not a question of having to prove that bit extra as a women, you just prove yourself as a person.

What advice would you give to a woman who wants to work in photovoltaics or a reputed technical sector?

Go for it, certainly within SMA there are many careers to choose from, it all depends on the path you want to take, decide on what you want, and what you need to get you there, and go grab it!

Thanks for the interview, Sian.