Women in Turbomachinery: A Need for Female Role Models; Conferences Foster Community, Shared Experiences

A significant challenge for women in the turbomachinery sector is the scarcity of visible female role models. Susan Scofield, a leader in curating programming for the Celebrating Women in Turbomachinery dinner at Turbo Expo, shared her insights into challenges and pathways for women in the industry. Scofield is also the Vice President of Business Operations for North America at Siemens Energy, Vice Chair of the IGTI Strategy Department, and Executive Conference Chair of the Turbo Expo Organizing Committee.

Events like Turbo Expo and its "Celebrating Women in Turbomachinery" dinner are vital in addressing the lack of women in the industry by providing platforms for networking, shared experiences, and fostering a sense of community, thereby empowering women and building essential support systems.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve identified for women in the turbomachinery industry?

The biggest issue for women in turbomachinery is the lack of role models. We see fantastic women in the industry, and they're definitely present, but not enough of them exist. From the OEM perspective, statistics show that men and women join companies like Siemens Energy, GE, and Mitsubishi around the same age, typically around 21 to 23 years old. However, seven or eight years into their careers, when they're gaining enough experience to become first-time managers or team leads, they leave companies like ours. The question has always been why. One of the things we've uncovered at Siemens Energy is that there's simply not enough role models in our specific industry, and we need to continue fostering and promoting that. When I review statistics from academia, government, and industry, I see that the overall industry faces a similar challenge. And that's definitely an area we need to work on.

How does Tubo Expo and the Celebrating Women in Turbomachinery dinner help to overcome these challenges and spotlight women’s efforts in the industry?

Conferences like Turbo Expo and the women’s dinner we host are fantastic because they bring together many like-minded people. When we gather, especially as a small minority, it gives us a chance to talk, listen, and share our experiences. You personally feel less alone and build networks of support, which compound with previous connections. These networks are then shared with others, both men and women. This is the true power of events like Turbo Expo because we're all part of a large technical family tackling challenging problems for the right reasons. Sometimes, we just need a bit of humanity to foster relationships and encourage each other to take brave next steps.