Construction and engineering were once - and quite often still are - very much male dominated industries. But women at Exyte are changing that. As experts and managers, they are an inspiration to their colleagues and to talent who are just starting their career. Selina Jiang and Sophia Bruttel are two of Exyte’s female role models who are helping pave the way when it comes to design and engineering across two different continents. 

 

"I've never had to apply for a higher position," says Selina Jiang. "My superiors recognized my talent and potential and encouraged me to take the next step in my career." Now a senior engineering manager, she leads a team of 50 people in Shanghai and works on the most complex projects in the advanced technology facilities field. She has been with Exyte for nearly two decades without ever feeling that her gender was an obstacle. 

Selina Jiang is walking outdoors in a park, dressed in a beige coat and gray scarf, holding a document.

“I encourage young women in my team."

"When I started in 2004, most of the department managers were men. But a lot has changed in the meantime and there are many women like me who have reached senior positions. I always encourage young women in my team and am proud of them when they make a career - not because they are women, but because they are the best." 
Selina Jiang is standing outdoors in a city, dressed in a beige coat and scarf, holding a document, with modern buildings in the background.

Everyone needs to know the big picture

How would she describe the excellent talent that define Exyte in all areas? What counts most for Selina is determination, reliability, a positive vibe and above all: team spirit. “In an engineering company, teamwork is extremely important. It's not enough to just send e-mails back and forth. You have to talk face to face. And everyone on the team needs to know the big picture of the project," says Jiang. 

Selina's career began as a project space management coordinator, a job that introduced her to many different systems. That experience helped her with her next job as a process utility engineer, where she was responsible for ultra-pure water and wastewater treatment system design for five years. 

When she moved up to management level, she was not completely sure what her actual job was at first. "I had to go to the project manager and ask what I was supposed to be doing," Selina laughed. "The patience and trust I've been given at Exyte makes me grateful." And it has paid off, both for Selina and for Exyte, because Selina’s personal growth is mirrored in the growth of the company. "Managing a big team or a big project always remains a challenge, but one that I’m looking forward to,” Selina says.

 

 

 

Sophia Bruttel is standing in a technical facility wearing a hard hat and a high-visibility vest, holding a large paper document, possibly a blueprint, and smiling. The background shows industrial equipment.

We are all women in the process team

While Selina Jiang has long been in a leadership position, Sophia Bruttel's career at the company has only just begun. After studying mechanical engineering and energy technology at the University of Stuttgart, the 30-year-old German native first worked in academia before starting at Exyte in 2021. 

"In my part-time jobs and internships during my studies, I was often the only woman on the team,” Bruttel begins. "But when I started at Exyte, I was amazed by how many women work here. In fact, in my current project, we are all women in the process team." 

For Bruttel, being a female engineer is no big deal and she believes that more and more women are being attracted to the engineering profession. "I've never felt like I wasn't taken seriously in my job. You have to enjoy what you are doing, or you won't get very far," Bruttel smiles. 

The process team is responsible for various workflows that need to be coordinated with suppliers. Bruttel takes care of huge stainless-steel tanks in which chemicals are stored. 

"The chemicals that are produced in the facility are used in corona tests and blood sugar tests," Bruttel says. She is glad that Exyte has pharmaceutical companies, among others, as clients. "It's really nice to be part of a company that is helping to improve people's lives." 

A job rich in variety  

 

Choosing Exyte as an employer was exactly the right decision for Bruttel. She enjoys the variety the job has to offer, not only because of clients in different business areas, but also because it involves getting on site and not staying in front of a computer. "Once the design phase is over, you go on site, which is exciting," says Bruttel. 

Accordingly, part of her job is to travel again and again and work in other cities and countries, an aspect which is also very appealing.  

"Exyte does a lot to make it easy to work in other locations,” Bruttel explains. “For example, I like to do sports and with Exyte's Wellpass program, I can train in 5,000 different sports venues in Germany without having to be a member of a club." 

As for what Bruttel wants to achieve at Exyte, the world is her oyster. "I'd like to gain experience on a few more projects and then eventually become a lead engineer," she says, a career plan that comes naturally for women at Exyte.