Worcester Bosch CEO Carl Arntzen, who was recently awarded an honorary doctorate by Birmingham City University (BCU), believes the engineering profession would greatly benefit from a more diverse workforce.
Mr Arntzen, who received his accolade from the new BCU Chancellor Ade Adepitan on Friday, October 18, said: “Engineering has been traditionally male dominated, but we need to break the barriers down.
“The engineering fraternity is missing out on great talent.
“Women bring a different dimension.
“They think differently – and that’s really healthy to have.”
Mr Arntzen has advocated for inclusion during his career with the company, a key player in the UK domestic boilers market.
Under his leadership, the Bosch Group has been a participant in the global Women in Engineering movement.
He is also involved with the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Institute of Technology (IoT).
He said: “I’ve always been really keen to make sure that we expand the opportunities for careers in engineering, particularly to women and minority groups.
“We try to do that at Worcester Bosch, and I try to do that in other ways, too.
“The IoT shares this dedication to inclusion, and I’m glad to say that BCU is playing an active role in championing those causes.”
Mr Arntzen, who began his career at the company as a 20-year-old intern, believes the promotion of engineering careers should start early.
He said: “It needs to start at primary school, by targeting girls from a young age and by keeping the engagement going until they decide which career to pursue.
“The best advocates are existing female engineers, who can attend careers fairs or carry out school visits, but we also need to educate teachers so they can help signpost opportunities.”
Mr Arntzen added: “Students leaving university need to be ‘work ready’, but the workplace is evolving all the time, so universities must understand employers’ needs and requirements.”
Lastly, he encouraged students to “push the boundaries, champion change and be the catalyst for new initiatives” and to “learn from your mistakes.”