A panel of engineering and tech leaders spoke about their career journeys and challenges at an event on Monday 17 June.

The panel was made up of:

• Dr Claudia Natanson MBE: Interim CEO/Chair Board of Trustees, UK Cyber Security Council
• Pallavi Mahajan: Corporate VP and General Manager Datacenter and AI, Intel
• Lucy Quist (MBA, CEng, BEng) Financial Services & Telecommunications Executive, Board NED, Author
• Shiri Mosenzon Erez: former Chief Product Officer, Ocado Technology
• Pooja Bagga: CIO, The Guardian

Professor Julie McCann, Faculty Ambassador for Women and Vice-Dean (Research) for the Faculty of Engineering chaired the discussion.

The discussion theme was computation and ‘softwareisation’ of engineering. Panellists reflected on the importance of sustainable and responsible AI, validating and publishing accurate news under time pressures and how data links us all. Dr Claudia Natanson reflected that ‘data is the most expensive currency…without it there would be no crime’.

Giving advice to the Imperial students in the audience, the panellists implored them to always look for the next wave of technology and to keep learning, even if their careers ‘zigzag’, as well as the importance of seeking out mentors.

The event was organised by the Women in Engineering Network (WiN), with special thanks to Bhavya Sharma, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Iram Sher, Human Resources.

Find out more about the Women in Engineering Network.