Shyamlee Bhambore’s views on female engineers, joining Smiths Detection and working from home…
Shyamlee Bhambore joined Smiths Detection in September 2020 as a Senior Engineering Manager based in Bangalore, India. Right from her first interview, Shyamlee was fascinated by the technology surrounding security screening and threat detection – so much so, she decided to start researching the subject regardless of whether she was offered a job!
After spending 17 years with an avionics corporation specialising in life critical cockpit systems, Smiths Detection was quite a change for Shyamlee. “Security screening is a new field in Bangalore and few engineers are familiar with these detection algorithms. I’m technology hungry and therefore was immediately excited at the prospect of working in a new arena and for a company with such an impressive legacy.”
The Smiths Way – inclusive and respectful
India has many female engineers in leadership roles but Shyamlee feels this is not generally the case around the world with engineering often very male dominated. “Sometimes it’s not easy being a woman in the engineering field but Smiths Detection definitely embraces diversity. The Smiths Way ethos asks us to be inclusive and respectful and this is a great platform on which to leverage my skills and grow my team with the full support of the company.”
Having joined Smiths Detection during the pandemic, Shyamlee was very impressed with her virtual onboarding. From the outset, communication from the support services and leadership was prompt and very responsive. All the necessary equipment and technology needed for home working was quickly and efficiently installed and the overall process was seamless. “Having my virtual office set up at home was a priority as the world is constantly under threat. At Smiths Detection we are continuing with many important security projects,” added Shyamlee.
Already, Shyamlee is organising a virtual, global hackathon for all Smiths Detection engineers to come together, get to know each other and bond. “I have taken part in a hackathon but never been the driving force and organiser – after just one month in the company I’ve been given the opportunity to explore new ventures. This bodes really well for the future!”