Women at STIHL: Paula Garcia-Gutierrez
FROM START-UP TO STIHL
I grew up in Madrid and completed a bachelor’s degree there before joining a start-up specializing in the development of inductors and transformers. After a year, I decided to complete a master’s degree in electrical engineering at RWTH Aachen University. Following my studies and another external internship, I found my current job as a calculations engineer at STIHL.
My daily routine involves a wide variety of tasks to do with calculating the parameters of electrical drives. That includes everything from detailed simulations of electric motors using finite element software for design and optimization work to simplified modeling of electric drivetrains from battery to tool to evaluate system performance. I use these tools to solve problems together with my colleagues in the advance and series development teams. I also work closely with service providers to perform calculations and analyses.
MY MOTIVATION? CHALLENGE!
In my eyes, developing new methods for calculating and modeling electric drives together with my colleagues is a huge opportunity. I find it exciting to subsequently apply these methods to advance and product development projects and to efficiently solve problems using simulations. I am someone who draws motivation from challenges. Aside from the challenge of the job itself, it’s also very exciting to work as an electrical engineer in a foreign language.
It’s no secret that engineering is quite a male-dominated field. Sometimes you feel a little underrepresented as a woman and as a kind of outsider in the workplace. That’s why I hope that more women will find their way into math, informatics, natural sciences, and engineering. The fact that I have come from abroad also plays an important role for me personally in this context. I work in a language that isn’t my native tongue, and also have a completely different cultural background compared to most of the people around me.
THE RIGHT BALANCE
My female colleagues at STIHL often inspire me with their expertise and unique ways of working. Nevertheless, I don’t think it’s ideal if teams are female- or male-only. I personally take much greater enjoyment from mixed groups, and I feel that the working atmosphere is better, too. I also believe that teams featuring a number of different perspectives tend to reach well-founded conclusions.
