International Women's Day at Thales

Today, across Thales, we celebrate International Women’s Day by #Embracing equity for stronger women, science and societies.

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, it is a keystone for stronger sciences and thus a more prosperous, equitable society. Unfortunately, the fact is that women remain underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, both at school and in the workforce, including at Thales.

 

 

Across Thales, we have a responsibility to build an inclusive and equitable workplace, free of bias. We also have a role to play in inspiring girls and women to have a different vision of our activities in order to achieve better gender balance across our activities.

"Girls should be encouraged to do science just as boys are." - Julie Grollier (Research director at the CNRS/Thales lab in France)

We need to demonstrate how the world of science and technology is accessible, eminently collective, and directly connected to societal issues.

We want everyone, but more specifically girls and women, to feel empowered and legitimate in taking on careers in science and contributing to society to the fullest of their potential.

 

 

Women at Thales are walking in the footsteps of pioneers before them. Each of them is an inspiration, as the fight to strengthen the place of women in STEM is still far from over.

We invite you to discover and share the inspiring messages they have to encourage girls to take up studies and careers in science.

 

 

Dunlin Tan, Director of Thales Research & Technology in Singapore.

Dunlin Tan, Director of Thales Research & Technology in Singapore, explains how MIT’s Mildred Dresselhaus inspired her own career in science.

The groundbreaking discoveries made by Dresselhaus – the first female Institute Professor at MIT – almost half a century ago laid the foundations for the understanding of carbon forms that we have today.

Her research helped develop technology based on thin graphite, which enables electronics to be part of our day-to-day lives. 

 

 

Julie Grollier, Director of Research at the CNRS/Thales Lab in France.

Julie Grollier, Director of Research at the CNRS/Thales Lab in France, talks about drawing her inspiration from the iconic Marie Curie.

The physicist Marie Curie needs almost no introduction. She carried out pioneering research into radioactivity (a word she herself invented), discovered two elements – radium and polonium –, was the first ever woman to win a Nobel Prize and one of the very few scientists in history to win it in two different fields.

Her revolutionary work overturned established ideas in the fields of physics and chemistry, and shaped the world we live in today. 

 

 

Anthea Comellini, an R&D engineer.

Anthea Comellini, an R&D engineer specialised in satellite guidance, navigation and control at Thales Alenia Space, talks about the example set for her by Italian engineer Amalia Ercoli-Finzi.

Amalia Ercoli-Finzi has been a pioneering and integral part of the space engineering landscape for over five decades, teaching at the Polytechnic University of Milan – of which she was the first female aeronautical engineering graduate and is now an Honorary Professor – and serving as a scientific advisor for NASA and both the Italian and European space agencies.

Her work has contributed to key space research fields, such as mission design, attitude control and docking manoeuvres.

 

We deploy many initiatives to increase girl’s and women’s interest, address stereotypical of careers in STEM and inspiring the next-generation to take on careers in STEM. Here’s a few example:

In Australia... 

Thales supports the Future Through Collaboration program to increase female representation in STEM careers. Selected employees undertake a 12-month program to develop valuable skills for careers in STEM.

In France... 

Thales partners with Elles Bougent, a French non-profit organisation to encourage young women to take up careers in science and technology. More than 450 "Elles bougent" women mentors share their experience of our businesses with young talents. 

Thales is also a member of the Cercle InterElles network, which brings together 16 technology companies to promote diversity and professional equality in the scientific and technological sectors in France, with the ambition of creating favorable conditions for gender balance and performance. 

In North America and Mexico... 

Thales partners supports Technovation Girls, an international competition for girls ages 10 to 18 to develop their innovation skills and their interest in technology, working with mentors from Thales.

In Italy... 

Since 2018 Thales Italia partners with Valore D, an Italian non-profit association to promote the equal presence of women and men in business. 

In United Kingdom... 

Thales partners with Women in Tech and Women in Engineering to attract more women into the organization and working with schools and colleges to encourage more females to get into STEM.

 

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