Navigating DE&I in Aerospace & beyond
Advice from our AX Portfolio women
In celebration of Ada Lovelace Day, we’re posting week-long content spotlighting women who exemplify the values, vision, drive and relentlessness that Ada Lovelace’s legacy embodies. Our Aerospace Xelerated portfolio companies are strong advocates for DE&I and can offer insightful advice on building best practices for DE&I at early-stage startups. Today, we bring you the stories of 4 powerful female voices working in STEM fields:
- Norah Landry, VP of Business Development at Pegasus
- Natasha Gedge, COO at Signol
- Diana Deca, CEO & Owner at Neurobotx
- Arlinda Osmanoviq, Cohort 3 Operations Associate at Amygda
Without a doubt, Ada Lovelace’s legacy has inspired thousands of women to pursue careers in STEM, to fight for their rights, to strive for success, and to empower the female community. Each of us are inspired by her story and legacy in different ways. We asked our Aerospace Xelerated portfolio companies to share their views on Ada Lovelace.
What does Ada Lovelace mean to you?
“To me, as a neurophysiologist, AI researcher, and CEO of an aerospace company, she portrays the tragic story of a genius woman, who is not getting the respect, comfort and power she deserved, which is getting repeated again and again during modern times. So, Ada Lovelace is a symbol of what needs to change, immediately, so that we do not miss out on more world-changing ideas.” — Diana Deca, Neurobotx
“Ada Lovelace’s legacy embodies hard work, determination, confidence and dedication. She stood out in her field at a time where odds were against her.” — Norah Landry, Pegasus
“Even though women are still underrepresented in STEM, they still do have a huge impact in the field, just like Ada Lovelace did. We should bridge that gap between how the work of the man is portrayed vs how the work of women is portrayed.” — Arlinda Osmanoviq, Cohort 3
What does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to you?
“Day to day, the primary objective is to create an environment of cognitive diversity. The best decisions consider different voices, experiences, and views. We strive to make strategic decisions collaboratively and create space for diverging opinions to be heard. I do think that the “inclusion” part can get lost when we talk about DE&I. Having a diverse group of employees does not necessarily diversify a business if not everyone is being invited or encouraged to speak and share their point of view.” — Natasha Gedge, Signol
“Excellence can only be achieved through multiple perspectives. Instead of DE&I, I use the term ‘respect’ in my company and network. Respect for other genders, cultures, nations, religions, emotions, families, personalities etc. Combining the search for excellence and technological innovation with respectful behavior inevitably leads to success and diversity, as shown by our amazing team.” — Diana Deca, Neurobotx
What are your thoughts on the current situation of diversity in the engineering or aerospace industry?
“It is improving quite rapidly which is fantastic to see. A large part of the issue is systemic, access to STEM training and development is still feasibly restricted to large segments of society which limits the flow through of diverse viewpoints and experiences. Those specific issues are hard for the industry to resolve in isolation but can be supported with business led incentives and programs.” — Natasha Gedge, Signol
“I’m seeing a massive shift taking place in the industry and in workplaces in general, although slow in aerospace and engineering, I think largely because it’s a more traditional sector compared to other faculties, but there is a shift and I think I’m evidence of that.” — Norah Landry, Pegasus
“Recently, one of our female engineers did a literature search on her own and incorporated it into our AI pilot, making sure it is completely state-of-the art. I hope to come across more amazing female programmers like that in aerospace engineering, and when I do, I will definitely give them a well deserved shout!” — Diana Deca, Neurobotx
What works well from what you’ve seen so far with your time in the industry, and what do we need to improve on?
“I’ve been in the defence and aerospace industry now for about twelve years, and a lot has changed for the better. When I first started, I saw a lot of problematic behaviour that went ignored and created a culture of acceptance. In the last few years, I’ve increasingly seen this behaviour called out and a more positive and safer environment develop.” — Natasha Gedge, Signol
“In order to bring diversity into the field, we need early education for girls and people from underprivileged backgrounds, and to instill the belief in them that they can be the best in the field if they work hard enough.” — Diana Deca, Neurobotx
“For me, it all starts from overcoming that unconscious bias that we have towards others; be it through race, sexuality, gender, and/or ethnicity. In the aerospace industry, there are only around 25% of women representing the workspace.” — Arlinda Osmanoviq, Cohort 3
In your opinion, how can female founders support each other?
“The best way for female founders and women in an industry to help each other is through networking and introductions - making those connections, promoting each other and our innovations. Furthermore, finding a way to challenge each other in a safe and supportive environment.” — Norah Landry, Pegasus
“For women who have had a hard time in this field, which I am sure they did, please be supportive of younger women trying to make it. While there are still biases coming from men, one topic that is not discussed enough is more senior women being kind and helpful to more junior women. By being good mentors to each other, they can help heal generational trauma and also demonstrate rational thinking and leadership skills. Help other women succeed, don’t be ‘extra hard’ on them, instead give them a voice when they do truly excellent work and use your position to push them forward, it will be cathartic.” — Diana Deca, Neurobotx
“Through providing an honest and kind sounding board, feedback and criticism where required, none of us are perfect and it improves us all.” — Natasha Gedge, Signol
Thank you to all of the resilient women that contributed to this interview blog!
We hope you can join us for Ada Lovelace Week — use #AdaLovelace and #WomenInTech on socials to shout your support and celebrate the women you respect. You can follow the content we’re publishing this week via the #AdaLovelace tag here on Medium.
Aerospace Xelerated is a 3-month funded programme for exceptional startups to accelerate the sustainable growth of the aerospace industry, led by Boeing. Learn more about our work in our FAQ or book an Office Hours call to chat with the programme team.
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