23 Feb : Updated 24 Feb ● 2 min read
International Women's Day
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we interviewed three amazing women who have been integral to BOXT’s success.
Meet Megan, our Lead Product Manager who has a first-class degree in neuroscience. She shared her inspiring career journey with us.
I was really lucky. After completing my degree, my first internship was on the sales team for a tech company; at the end my mentor told me I should ask for the title of 'Product Manager', which I did, and the rest is history. One of my first projects with BOXT was to digitise the warehouse – from manufacturer deliveries to customer orders, and every step in between. It was a mammoth job, and I'm really proud of the system now in place. More recently, I spent nine months redesigning our internal system, creating a secure multi-client platform with independent functionalities!
Where do you see the future of Product Management?
I think AI will play a huge role. As more and more people learn to code, there'll be a shift from critical coding skills to analytical skills, helping people determine what's worth building. 'Product thinking' may even enter school curricula.
Do you have any advice for women hoping to get into Product Management?
To succeed as a Product Manager, you need to develop great people and communication skills, while understanding how to get and use data. I'd also encourage saying 'yes' to things even if you don't feel ready. Don't be afraid to fail. And try not to self-select yourself out of a room before you've stepped inside. Just because tech is a predominantly male-dominated environment, that doesn't mean you're not welcome.
Meet Jo, our Lead Gas Technical Auditor, who has held her Gas Safe certificate for over 20 years. She shared her inspirational career journey with us.
When I was five years old, I went with my dad, a plumber and heating engineer, to my first job – a leak in a school. Then, when I was 19, I started my plumbing and heating apprenticeship, and then went on to work for my dad. He likes to tell people I'm more qualified than he is! I joined BOXT as a Technical Auditor over four years ago and took on additional responsibilities as the business grew. It's really rewarding to advise engineers on how to carry out tricky jobs, then seeing them use the knowledge again in future jobs. And it's really nice to have them call up and ask to speak with me, because I've earned their respect.
Where do you see the future of Product Auditing?
Live Chat has been a game-changer between the engineers and us. I’ve been working with our developers to streamline our process, and I’m looking forward to trialling our new system when it’s ready.
Do you have any advice for women hoping to get into engineering?
It's fantastic to see more women in this industry these days, but you'll need to be strong-minded, determined, and confident. So, I'd advise other women to stick with it and believe in themselves.
Reach out to other women in the industry – you'll meet them in places like the merchants. I didn't meet another female engineer for over 10 years! And if you're a male engineer, take some time to show your daughters and nieces what you do.
Meet Carly, our Retail Sales Manager, who manages a team of product specialists. She shared her inspiring career journey with us.
I originally got into this industry after applying for a job that worked around my childcare. Later, I was offered a job as a surveyor. I moved to BOXT as a sales agent about five years ago. I'm so proud of my team. We have achieved record sales & growth whilst scoring high in the recent Great Place To Work Survey questionnaire.
Where do you see the future of Sales?
BOXT has always been primarily about boilers, but our entire industry is pivoting to make way for renewable technologies. That said, there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all product. We'll take the time to assess each customer's home on an individual level to find the right solution.
Do you have any advice for women hoping to get into sales?
We have a team of really knowledgeable men and women, but some customers still assume a man's going to be on the end of the phone. Women; keep on going, your gender doesn't define your ability to deliver.
