Building a career from the ground up

I joined JLR as a Project Engineer delivering Range Rover and Range Rover Sport programmes nearly 14 years ago now. Moving to UK after getting married and having started a family were two big changes in life - adjusting culturally and understanding my next phase in personal life. I do not have automotive background, so JLR was an entirely new world for me. I have a master's degree in Engineering Management and have had project management roles throughout my career. I love being around people, so this was a perfect fit.

I was like a sponge as this was my first corporate job - I soaked up all I was exposed to and learnt on the job. First key responsibility was to validate Bill of Material to support prototype build, I kid you not when I say I was the first to get all prototype releases done for my programme in time and to quality; even ended up memorising part numbers!

Within my first year, I got opportunities like providing cross-functional coaching & onboarding colleagues. Shortly after, my positive, can do attitude led to my appointment as Programme Scheduler, accountable for cross functional integration of the Defender delivery plan. This was another first moment for me, I was not only the only planner with multiple programmes to support but also self-taught Primavera P6 scheduling tool and created the Defender plan.

After being a Project Engineer & Programme Scheduler for about 2 years each learning in-depth about programme delivery and the supporting framework, I got my first management level position within Manufacturing leading standardisation of processes from design through to mass production. This was no small achievement as getting promotion in a completely different department than yours was not a common occurrence. 

I was the only female in my team, and I grew my team's scope and influence within JLR in the next five years in the department.

I led by example and created an environment of trust for everyone around me. I empowered my team to run their projects as mini-businesses and as a result demonstrated servant leadership even before JLR embarked on the agile journey. As a result of my effective succession planning, two of my direct reports got promoted as I moved into my next promotion within Jaguar programmes team. I truly care for the team I work in and almost have a mamma bear protective instincts towards them!  

In my first Senior Manager position, I was accountable for effective transition of 9 vehicle lines across 4 plants globally. By consistently delivering quality work, I’ve built trusted, collaborative relationships that support effective delivery. As a new and uniquely scaled role within JLR, it provided a strong learning opportunity while I formed a cross functional team and developed the strategy, framework, and processes to meet business requirements. I am now accountable for implementation of the product delivery framework enabling accelerated time to market, another super exciting opportunity.

I come from a family background where none of the females I grew up around had a degree or a job.

Being the first to achieve everything I have in a foreign country didn’t come easy. This has meant I developed core skills of hard work, time management and great work ethics to succeed. English is not my first language however my hunger to be the best version of myself enables me to get out of my comfort zone, to grow my network, learn new things and share my experiences. Progressing to Senior Manager’s position hasn’t changed my grit, empathy and respectful approach toward others. I have also co-chaired of the Women in Engineering and Allies network at JLR and now am the chair of the Diversity Equity & Inclusion council for my area. I drive the diversity and inclusion vision for all women within STEM careers at JLR and take the time to coach & mentor other aspiring females, giving back means a lot to me. There is so much more that can be done in this space.

I’m naturally a glass half full person, and I genuinely see myself building a long, fulfilling career here at JLR. I have big aspirations including becoming a role model and helping to break the glass ceiling for Asian women who are new to UK culture and language. There is still so much about the business I want to learn, and I’m committed to growing, developing, and continuing to make a meaningful impact. I’m determined to give my best every day because I truly love what I do. I value the people I work with, the challenges we overcome together, and I feel confident that my contribution is helping shape JLR’s future. Like any organisation, JLR at present is navigating challenging times, but I have no doubt that we will emerge stronger. And I’ll be there, cheering us on as we achieve even bigger and better things.

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