Get to know Alison Wilson – Chief Operating Officer
You’ve built an impressive career in STEM, rising to executive leadership. What first drew you to this field, and what’s kept you inspired along the way?
I always enjoyed the challenge of using theoretical ideas to solve real world problems and that’s what drew me to chemical engineering. I really enjoyed studying for my degree and the ways of thinking and working I developed have stayed with me throughout my career. Even though I no longer work directly in a technical role, I still think like an engineer – I see puzzles to be solved all around me, which I love!
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a woman in STEM, and how have you navigated them?
The biggest challenge I think many technical experts face is balancing career progression with technical mastery. In the organisations where I worked there were sometimes technical career paths defined, but the reality was that you could progress more quickly by moving into business leadership and away from technical work. Being a woman in a male dominated field, I probably experienced the effects of this to a greater degree than my male colleagues, for all the reasons highlighted in Shape Talent’s Three Barriers work. I navigated by taking the initiative to move role many times in my early career, either within the same organisation or outside. I gave myself 2.5-3 years in each role – long enough to make a difference and deliver results, and then I looked for the next step up and the chance to learn something new.
Many leaders talk about the importance of support networks. How have mentors, sponsors, or coaching relationships influenced your journey?
In all honesty, I didn’t have a great experience with formal mentors early in my career. I found I was paired with people who had a different definition of success to me or a totally different experience of work – and so their advice was unhelpful and made me question my suitability for progression. On the plus side, it means I made the decision quite early on to figure things out for myself and find my own way. I was fortunate to have a manager with a similar philosophy in my first role who was really inspirational, but I’ve had my share of terrible managers too. I came across coaching for the first time after I returned to work from maternity leave. The impact was huge, I was able to pull together all my scattered thoughts about success and leadership and align it into an identity as a leader and a career that really works for me.
What advice would you give to women who aspire to step into leadership roles in STEM – especially those navigating career transitions or balancing multiple priorities?
Take time to step back and really think about what success means for you. It can be so easy to get drawn into having to work in a way that doesn’t work for you. Once you are clear about what you want, then you can think about it like a puzzle to solve. How to you get one step closer to where you want to be?
I’d also encourage people to think about the problems they are genuinely interested to solve for their businesses or in the wider world. I was able to move jobs regularly because I had a clear narrative: ‘I’m interested in this big problem we have, I’ve observed this phenomenon here, I know how this part of the business works, so if I move into this role and develop this further knowledge I can see I can have an even bigger impact’
If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice at the start of your STEM career, what would it be?
I wish I could tell my younger self that success depends on both your individual contribution AND the system you are working in. I probably spent too long trying to fix myself when I was working in environments where I was never going to be set up for success. It’s good to be able to do hard things and to succeed in adversity, but it’s also important to recognise when it is time to move into a system that supports you to thrive. And when you are combining work with caring for others outside of work, happiness depends on work that works for you.