Vidya Wable

I attribute my success to a combination of perseverance, continuous learning, and the support of the people around me. Growing up, I was encouraged to stay curious and push boundaries, which shaped my mindset as an engineer. Throughout my career, mentors, colleagues, and family have played an important role by believing in me and challenging me to keep growing.

I also credit my success to staying adaptable—embracing new technologies, stepping into unfamiliar roles, and learning from every opportunity. Most importantly, I’ve always been driven by a desire to create solutions that truly matter. That sense of purpose keeps me motivated, grounded, and committed to delivering my best work every day.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is to focus on learning, not just on titles or achievements. Early in my career, a mentor told me that the most valuable growth comes from tackling challenges that push your skills, even if they feel intimidating at first. That advice encouraged me to step into complex projects, explore new materials and technologies, and take on leadership opportunities—often before I felt completely ready.

It taught me that confidence comes from experience, not certainty, and that staying curious and adaptable is more important than following a predefined path. That mindset continues to guide my career, helping me turn challenges into opportunities for growth and impact.

My advice to young women entering engineering is to be confident in your abilities and patient with your growth. The industry can feel challenging at times, but every project, even the small or frustrating ones, is an opportunity to learn and build experience.

Find mentors and peers who can support you, and don’t hesitate to ask questions or seek guidance—no one expects you to have all the answers. Most importantly, focus on doing good work, staying curious, and gradually building your expertise. Over time, your skills, persistence, and perspective will speak for themselves.

One of the biggest challenges we face is balancing cost with innovation — rising material prices and tighter margins mean we have to be even smarter about where we invest. But that tension is also a huge opportunity. With the shift to EVs and sustainable materials, engineering isn’t just about building better parts — it’s about rethinking what those parts are made of and how they’re made. For me, that’s where the real value engineering comes in: not just cutting cost, but creating smarter, lighter, more sustainable solutions. And if we lean into digital tools and cross-functional collaboration, we can build a more resilient, efficient, and forward-looking automotive value chain

Integrity, curiosity, and impact are the values I hold most important in both my work and personal life. In engineering, integrity ensures that every design and decision is honest, safe, and reliable. Curiosity drives me to keep learning, explore new materials, technologies, and processes, and approach challenges creatively.

Finally, I value impact—whether it’s improving a product, mentoring a team, or contributing to solutions that benefit society, like the COVID-19 mask project. These values guide the way I work, the way I lead, and the way I approach life outside of work.