Her Story
About Sangita
I've been working in two different fields for more than 30 years, with my current position starting in 2018. Previously, I held a similar position with my husband's company, and before that, I managed federal government accounts for a company called VIP (Visual Integration Professionals), working in IT consulting for almost 30 years. I've managed federal practices for many companies on both the cybersecurity and overall IT side, including major firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM. Today, my main expertise is in industrial design and advanced engineering, where we use AI, ML, and various cybersecurity aspects for different industries. I manage offices in the Washington D.C. metro area, Germany, and India, handling both business development and technical sides. I work with scientists on research for the automotive, aerospace and defense, and energy sectors, taking projects from concept design through manufacturing. I'm particularly proud of our digital twin work, which I believe nobody else in the world has done at this level. We worked from ground zero with clients to understand what they needed to make their products better, using different software, technologies, and our talented team. Some of our clients on the automotive side include Mercedes-Benz. I'm currently working to expand into manufacturing to have better control over precision and quality, as I often struggle to find the right partners who can deliver the exact work we're looking for.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sangita
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a lot of hard work and the support of my family, particularly my daughter and my husband. Having that strong family support system has been crucial to everything I've accomplished. It's the combination of putting in the effort and having people who believe in you and support you along the way that has made the difference.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've received is to keep going. When I was struggling on the engineering side of the world, working in a male-dominated field, we would do a lot of proposals and not get them, sometimes for different reasons. A lot of times people would tell me I was going to get to the next level, and the key was just to keep going. That advice to persist and not give up, even when facing rejection and challenges, has been the most valuable guidance I've received.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Never look back. Just keep moving forward and don't let anything stop you or make you second-guess yourself. The path may be challenging, especially in male-dominated fields like engineering, but the key is to maintain your focus on what's ahead and not dwell on setbacks or obstacles behind you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in the engineering field is that it's mainly dominated by men, which makes it very difficult to navigate through. As a woman in this space, you face unique obstacles that others may not encounter. However, I've been fortunate to have some very good people supporting me on the technical side of the world, which makes it very interesting and helps me overcome these challenges. The male-dominated nature of the field remains the primary obstacle to success.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are ethics and trust. These principles guide both my professional work and my personal relationships. In an industry where integrity matters and where building strong partnerships is essential, maintaining high ethical standards and being someone people can trust has been fundamental to how I operate.
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