Meet Huihui
Application Engineer (Daikin UK)
"This is the career I always dreamt of pursuing since my teenage years. I am very proud of myself for being persistent for all these years."
Engineering is known as a particularly intense major. Did you ever experience any uncertainty that this was your path?
Honestly, I’ve probably experienced that thousands of times. Such as, when I felt my brain going to explode after some really hard courses, stuck in a few points of my dissertation for weeks which caused insomnia, or spending lots of time in the lab to get an ideal result which it might not be possible to get. However, all these are nothing compared to the achievement I got from being an engineer, this is the career I always dreamt of pursuing since my teenage years. I am very proud of myself for being persistent for all these years.
What makes Daikin a great workplace for you?
My colleagues are very friendly and supportive. Whenever I had question about work or about life, they are always available to give me valuable instruction and suggestions. Such as, the design legislation and standards in UK, explaining more technical details for the products, installation, and webtools, some certain expression only used by engineers, etc. It is particularly helpful for someone like me who is very new to the UK and the position.
What is it like to be a woman in engineering? Do you feel that your gender gives you a different perspective and experience from your male counterparts? Any advantages?
For the perspective point of view, I would say it is pretty much the same between female engineers and their male counterparts. However, as a women in engineering, I feel that the environment is not always entirely supportive for women. I believe this is still something we would need to improve in the future.
Sometimes we have some advantages as most of my classmates and colleagues are male. Like it's easier to be noticed, most people think I must be very smart, I seldom need to open the door by myself.
What advice do you have for women interested in engineering?
As a female you might face more difficulties in engineering. However, if you want to do it, please give yourself and this industry a chance. I believe you won’t regret this decision, it will bring you so much fascinating experience and encourage more females to broaden their career choice.
Favorite quote?
We only live once, but once is enough if we do it right.
Best day to spend a day off work? (hiking, shopping…)
I prefer to enjoy life in the weekends and leave all that serious stuff to weekdays. My typical weekends are waking up a bit later than normal, have a nice cozy brunch, sometimes go out hiking or visit a new place nearby, if not, I might do a bit of shopping and walk around the city, have a chat with old friends and family, and enjoy a few drinks in the evening while watching sitcoms.
Guilty pleasure? (red lipstick, chocolate…)
I’ve tried diving, climbing, bungee jumping, sky diving, flying an airplane. I am currently planning to try racing and skiing later this year, hopefully I can choose the one I like the most and make it my hobby. The reason why I consider these to be guilty pleasures, is mainly because most of them are pretty expensive.
Can’t be productive without…(morning yoga, coffee, …)
HIIT always makes me feel energetic to start my day at work. Even if it is just 20-30 min, it really helps me to feel alive. I started doing HIIT about 6 years ago, first just to try, but then it became my routine.
Other than that, of course, a cup of nice breakfast tea is indispensable.
Meet Raquel
KAM International Sales at Tewis Smart Systems SLU (Daikin group)
"Now it is clear to me that I made the right choice, that engineering is my path and refrigeration is my passion."
Engineering is known as a particularly intense major. Did you ever experience any uncertainty that this was your path?
I ever thought that I would like to be an Engineer until I had to choose my academic degree. I was always aware that numbers were my thing, so engineering seemed like a good fit. Now it is clear to me that I made the right choice, that engineering is my path and refrigeration is my passion.
What makes Daikin a great workplace for you?
Working with Daikin, my job is both interesting and challenging which is something I really enjoy. It has allowed me to work with an international group with access to high-level professional projects and challenges. This motivates me daily in my professional life..
What is it like to be a woman in engineering? Do you feel that your gender gives you a different perspective and experience from your male counterparts? Any advantages?
Generally speaking, engineering is seen as a career path more typical for men. However working for a large organisation like Daikin there are many opportunities for women to progress in this area. Working for this type of company assures me that I can do whatever I want and I have many choices.
I believe that being a woman or a man does not affect our perspectives: each person has his own personality which gives each person different values and qualities from others.
In addition I would like to highlight that the world needs science, and science needs women and girls. Diverse teams are more efficient, productive and creative.
What advice do you have for women interested in engineering?
If you are interested in engineering, do not hesitate to follow this path. Engineering is a profession that covers many sectors, all of them related to technology. You will have many opportunities to find the area of engineering that fits your desires!
Step by step we are reducing the gender gap that can be found in these areas.
Favorite quote?
Decide who you are, who you want to be, and do everything in your power to BE that. (N. D. Walsch)
Best day to spend a day off work? (hiking, shopping…)
I love spending my free time with my family and friends. Unfortunately, due to Covid19 pandemic we have been forced to keep social distancing this year, so I preferred to spend more time doing outdoor activities such as long walks in the mountains or walking by the sea.
I can’t be productive without…(morning yoga, coffee, …)
The first thing I do as soon as I wake up is have a coffee! I need caffeine to start my day with energy, just like I need to do some exercise in the afternoons to maintain a more positive vision of my day-to-day life.
Meet Julia
Business Development Manager (Daikin Central Europe)
"I am proud to be part of an organisation which can offer its employees’ space for development and opportunities for embarking on new challenges. This is fully reflected in the evolution of my own path within the company"
Introduce yourself in a few words (when did you join, where are you based, current positions, job rotation if any…)
I am Julia Marinescu from Daikin Central Europe (DACE) Business Development Manager for HORECA division of Commercial Refrigeration SBU. I joined Daikin over 9 years ago, initially responsible for marketing strategies for Romania, where I come from. Within a couple of years, I took over the marketing operations of Hungary as well (I forgot to mention, I come from a bilingual family being half Romanian and half Hungarian, which made me ideal for the job).
Two years down the road I was invited to joined DACE HQ Residential team, where I acted in several roles, from marketing through product management and business development. At present I am a fresh member of the Commercial Refrigeration SBU, looking forward to establishing Daikin’s name in the HORECA business sector.
What makes Daikin a great workplace for you?
I am proud to be part of an organisation which can offer to employees’ space for development and opportunities for embarking on new challenges. This is fully reflected in the evolution of my own path within the company
And it is only one part of the story: the company’s culture and the team spirit nurtured among its members, makes Daikin a great place to work! Another important factor is the systematic investment in people development in the form of multiple learning possibilities, access to a generous variety of online training materials, and customised learning paths. By being open to embracing new working styles like co-working, co-creating, and agile organisation style, Daikin seems to me to be always two steps ahead of other manufacturers in the industry. What I also appreciate a lot is the company’s unabated concern for environmental sustainability. By that I mean, not only is Daikin conducting its business in accordance with green principles, but it also deploys systematic action in research and development, targeted at reducing environmental impact from refrigerants and improving the energy efficiency of its technologies.
What is it like to be a woman in a “male dominant” industry? Do you feel that your gender gives you a different perspective and experience from your male counterparts? Any advantages?
Worldwide, the discussions around gender disparity in the workplace are ongoing and even though, for the past 10 to 15 years, significant efforts have been made, there is still plenty of room for progress if we look at the statistics.
Nevertheless, I know several successful women in “male dominated” industries like real estate development, IT, and engineering, so it is not impossible. I think what it takes is following your dreams and your passion and not letting biases and stereotypes get in your way.
I strongly believe that the solution lies in exploiting the traits brought into game by all parties. It should not be a competition, but an opportunity to achieve better results in a more efficient way together.
Favourite quote?
My favourite quotation is somehow linked to one of the reasons why I think Daikin is a great place to work as it encourages entrepreneurship through its agile way of working.
“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” - Richard Branson
Best day to spend a day off work? (hiking, shopping…)
If I have a day off, I couldn’t imagine spending it in any other way then outdoors in my friend’s company.
Guilty pleasure? (red lipstick, chocolate…)
From time to time I like to indulge myself with beauty treatments and enjoying a spa day with my dearest friends.
I can’t be productive without…(morning yoga, coffee, …)
In the mornings I need my espresso and my favourite morning radio show to get the ball rolling.
Meet Elena
Sales Area Manager (AHT Italy)
"Working in the Daikin group offers the chance to be in contact with people from different countries with different experiences and this is for me the best way to share experience and information."
Introduce yourself in a few words (when did you join, where are you based, current positions, job rotation if any…)
I'm Elena Sciarini and I work in AHT Italy. I have been the Area manager and Key Account manager for FRC since August 2020. Previously, I worked in Daikin Italy for 16 years, starting in the VRV group as technical back office support and the last 3 years were in the Refrigeration SBU as a solution sales engineer and later as Area Manager. In reality, I started to work on refrigeration products in 2010.
What makes Daikin a great workplace for you?
Working in the Daikin group offers the chance to be in contact with people from different countries with different experiences and this is for me the best way to share experience and information, not only from a techincal point of view, but also from a human one.
I also appreciate the Daikin training method, and the continous research into innovative products that always anticipate "legal requirements" and market trends.
What is it like to be a woman in a “male dominant” industry? Do you feel that your gender gives you a different perspective and experience from your male counterparts? Any advantages?
I've always worked in a “male dominant” segment, after university I worked for 2 years in the R&D department of an A/C competitor company. I was responsible for performance tests in a climatic room, and in that period I learned to braze and build-up A/C prototype units. Up to now, that was the most formative, but also funny, experience in my life.
This was my first contact with a "male dominant job". Today I feel my job really fits me. Customers are sometimes surprised to meet a female area manager, especially in the refrigeration world. But I've never had any difficuties. What customers need and require is technical knowledge and support and a reliable solution. And these are skills that are not related to gender. For sure I have a different perspective, vision, and way of acting compared to my male colleagues, but this creates a more open way of facing our daily activities inside the team.
Favourite quote?
My favorite quote is a mix of two slogans from famous sporting companies, and it sounds like this "Impossible is nothing, no excuses just do it". This is my daily mantra, even when something in going wrong or different than expected.
Best day to spend a day off work? (hiking, shopping…)
I love spending my free time with my family in the open air, I love running, cycling, and travelling around the world.
Guilty pleasure? (red lipstick, chocolate…)
I do not have any particular guilty pleasures, but I love Belgian beer and Italian food.
I can’t be productive without…(morning yoga, coffee, …)
The best way to start the day is to turn on the radio and start listening to my favourite music, it's more energizing than a cup of coffee.