64/65 | INTERVIEW | WOMEN IN LIGHTING
WOMEN IN LIGHTING
WOMEN IN M A N U FAC T U R I N G As part of our commitment to celebrate Women in Lighting and International Women’s Day, darc posed a series of questions to women working in decorative lighting, about their working lives. The aim? To better understand their experiences of being in roles that have, historically been held by men.
RAMINDER VIRDI PROJECT SALES M ANAGE R , ASTRO LIGHTING
How long have you been involved in the lighting industry?
manufacturers do to encourage a diversity of applicants
I have been in the industry for 17 years.
for roles in sales and product development for example?
Have you always been involved in the manufacturing
Absolutely more women should be encouraged. I’m
side?
fortunate to be working in a company where a majority of
I was exposed to the lighting industry when I started my
the UK sales team are female, which is truly empowering.
first job at Lutron straight after university. Since then, I
But to change the mindset of this industry being a ‘man’s
have been lucky enough to work across several business
world’ we need to be encouraging women earlier on in
functions, including supply chain, quotations, and project
their career. I do think manufacturers are diverse with
management until I decided to specialise in sales.
having women on their teams. I moved into a sales
Have you noticed more diversity in sales, manufacturing,
position around nine years ago, and I don’t think I would
and marketing over the past two decades?
have felt comfortable before that as I would have been
Over the last few years, I have seen a positive shift within
too worried about feeling intimidated or spoken down
marketing where this field seems to attract more women.
to. The move for me came with age, experience, and
Whereas the sales and manufacturing side still has a
confidence in what I was doing.
way to go. This is further emphasised when I visit a trade
What are the positives of working for a manufacturer?
show for example – seeing saleswomen at a stand is still
What are the negatives?
uncommon.
The positives for me are being out and meeting new
What reasons do you think there are so few women
people every day, coupled with the excitement and
working for manufacturing companies? What obstacles
energy of being involved in such an amazing project.
do women come up against?
There is a sense of pride in knowing that you have been a
I think the manufacturing industry has been a largely
part of delivering some great iconic projects.
male orientated one and often perceived as needing
I would say that a negative is that there are some real old-
technical ability, especially when you notice that most
fashioned views out there of what women can and can’t
engineers are male. Women can be just as technical, but
do, which need to be washed out. There is a new wave of
I think society makes us believe this is the male domain,
people, and when we embrace this, the more diverse and
which I believe is the barrier that needs to be broken.
more creative we can be.
There have been occasions that I’ve attended meetings
Is there anything else you would like to add?
and I’ve asked a male engineer to join me, as I was often
I love what I do and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t do it, it’s that
perceived that I don’t know what I was talking about.
simple. It’s important to believe in yourself, show
Women often need to prove themselves before they are
confidence in yourself and your abilities. The only way
taken seriously, whereas a man can walk into a meeting
this industry will change is if we talk about it, so I thank
without reservations.
you for bringing light to this important subject.
How do you think more women can be encouraged
www.astrolighting.com
into this side of the lighting industry? What can