This year’s International Women’s Day theme, ‘Accelerate Action’, highlights the need for quicker progress in gender equality across all industries. This calls for creating a level playing field and real opportunities for women to thrive. Meet the incredible women at ABB Energy Industries who are not just shaping the future, but revolutionizing it! They’re taking on diverse roles and donning multiple hats, infusing passion into everything they do.
Here are five lessons from their career journeys for every professional.
Being the first in anything is never easy. As the first woman in her family to pursue a professional education, Rajeshwari paved the way for future generations to succeed. Her story is one of resilience, passion, and breaking barriers. She has spent around 14 years at ABB in different roles in engineering and currently leads the power and water automation projects for the energy industries division.
1. Own your firsts even when they feel challenging
She recently spent one and a half months at a remote commissioning site, ensuring the successful execution of a critical power plant project. Juggling work and family wasn’t easy, but she chose to embrace the challenge rather than shy away from it. A doting mom to two daughters, Rajeshwari dedicates her time outside of work to indulge in her passions - dancing, cooking, and growing indoor plants.
2. Growth happens outside your comfort zone
Sowmya’s career has been a series of bold leaps, from stepping into the corporate world straight out of college to managing service projects across the oil & gas industry.
Balancing work with part-time college was no easy feat, but Sowmya completed her engineering degree while working at ABB. Today, she continues to push herself through leadership programs at IIM Bangalore and ABB’s IGNITE initiative.
3. Work-Life Balance is a Personal Equation
With nearly two decades at ABB, Mukthamba has built a career fueled by learning, collaboration, and perseverance. Today, she plays a vital role in managing sales bid proposals, and driving cross-functional collaboration. Balancing a demanding career with family responsibilities hasn’t always been easy, but Muktha believes in prioritization and setting clear boundaries to ensure neither one suffers. Closing a massive pan-India project last year was a defining moment for her.
4. Your potential isn’t defined by someone else’s judgement
Little did Samatha know that her dream of joining ABB India, inspired by a campus visit in the 80s, would come true years later. She joined ABB in 2004 as an SCM Engineer for substation projects, gained experience across multiple business units, built a strong network, and eventually transitioned into a procurement role. She recalls that early in her career, skepticism had loomed.
Samatha loves a good throwball match, tending to her terrace garden, and finding sustainable ways to live, like composting at home.
5. Having a strong support system can elevate your success
Dimple M’s journey with ABB began in 2021 through campus recruitment as an Executive Diploma Trainee. Today, she thrives as an Associate Project Engineer, translating customer needs into solutions, designing panel drawings, conducting testings, and providing technical support for projects. What makes her story even more inspiring? She’s balancing it all while pursuing her Engineering degree in evening college, proving that passion and perseverance go hand in hand.
For Dimple, ABB is more than just her first company; it’s a safe and supportive environment where she continues to grow. Her mantra:
