Celebrating International Women’s Day with Inspiring Journeys of Women at OMRON

We have all heard common clichés about gender roles, but the journey towards true gender equality is an ongoing one. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we are excited to share the inspiring stories of five incredible women from OMRON, breaking stereotypes in the industrial automation sector.

Maryam Dolatabadi: “I have a natural curiosity for automation technology.”

“I don't think one action alone is enough; many areas have to work together,” says Maryam Dolatabadi, who works as an application engineer at OMRON in Dortmund. Born in Iran, she studied Automation and Robotics Engineering at the Technical University of Dortmund and Electrical Engineering and Control Systems at the K. N. Toosi University of Technology in Tehran: “Germany is such a progressive country in many areas. However, it lags when it comes to women in technical professions. I would like to call out to German girls and women: take a look around and try something new!”

Asunción Pastrana Costa: “It's time to say goodbye to narrow corsets.”

Asunción Pastrana Costa, the 32-year-old works as an ATC Solution Engineer (Vision) at OMRON Europe in Stuttgart. After graduating in telecommunications engineering from the University Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Pastrana went to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). She wrote her thesis on “Signal Processing”: “I find image processing and vision technology incredibly exciting. Even as a child, I saw myself as an inventor. I think girls should be introduced to new, exciting topics much earlier. We should stop trying to squeeze our children into fixed categories.”

Wendy Tonks: “I had to build that trust and prove that I was capable.”

When Wendy Tonks first started her career in engineering in the UK just over 20 years ago, one of the first ground rules that she had to lay down was that she wasn’t a tea lady. Fast forward two decades and thankfully Wendy doesn’t have to contend with misogynistic attitudes in the workplace. She is the Lead System Test Engineer at OMRON Europe working within the company’s Netherlands-based R&D team, which includes hardware and software engineers, data scientists, testers, and mechanical engineers. A quarter of her colleagues are female. 

Philippa Glover: “If you can see it, you can be it.”

Philippa Glover is a mother of two and a member of OMRON’s UK and Ireland Senior Leadership Team. She works relentlessly to champion UK manufacturing and the role automation plays in our future and strongly believes that the key is STEM engagement from a young age.

“For me, the opportunity starts at a primary and secondary school level. As a community, we have got to inspire and empower more young people, irrespective of gender and background – and show them that automation is a fascinating place to build a rewarding career,” she says.

Iris Brem: “I have girls in my team who have ambition but not confidence.”

As Team Lead for IPC, HMI & Robotics at OMRON’s North Brabant factory in The Netherlands, 31-year-old Iris Brem oversees a team of 26 factory floor personnel. A young manager from a technical background, she has found people management and motivation one of the most challenging aspects of her role. To support her in her own development and decision-making, Iris asked the site’s former logistics manager - a colleague she admired and looked up to - to be her coach.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let's not just acknowledge these women's achievements but also recognize the collective potential within all of us to challenge norms and create a more inclusive future. OMRON remains committed to supporting and empowering women. Explore more stories in our 'Women in Automation' series on our website.

Happy International Women’s Day!

#InspireInclusion #WomeninSTEM #MakeitInclusive