CAs leading the conversation
Sumati Sharma discusses women in the aviation and aerospace industries.
On 12 September more than 70 figures from across the aviation and aerospace industries came together in Scotland for the first Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter event to be held north of the border.
It was great to return to where I started my career, training as a Chartered Accountant in the Ernst & Young offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Now working as Vice President – Product & Commercial at Virgin Holidays, a part of Virgin Atlantic, I am deeply passionate about championing an inclusive and diverse environment for our people, not just at Virgin but also further afield, for our local communities and for our industries as a whole.
Women remain under-represented in the aviation and aerospace industries. Fewer than 5% of pilots and only around 15% of engineering and technology undergraduates in the UK
are women.
Combining both my personal and my company’s ambition to champion diversity and inclusion, I joined Katherine Bennett, Senior Vice President of Airbus in the UK, as Co-chair of the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter. This initiative has gone from strength to strength following its launch at the Farnborough Airshow in July 2018 with 40 founding signatories, including Virgin Atlantic.
The charter now brings together more than 165 industry and government organisations, who have signed up and committed to supporting the progression of women at all stages, from entry level all the way to the board room and making a pledge for gender balance across aviation and aerospace.
Women remain under-represented in the aviation and aerospace industries. Fewer than 5% of pilots and only around 15% of engineering and technology undergraduates in the UK
are women.
Consequently, at Virgin we recognise the need to build a workplace where diversity is not just accepted – it is embraced, championed and celebrated. That is why it is incumbent on leaders to continuously find ways to push the envelope and to ensure that our organisation is diverse, inclusive and provides opportunities for all.
It is our responsibility to drive change for the future, and as CAs we are in the highly privileged position of leading the conversation and being the change makers for those who come after us.
In September I had the opportunity to join speakers from across the industry to showcase the charter for the first time in Scotland. It was a pleasure to join inspiring leaders including Dame Deirdre Hutton, Chair of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, Kate Forbes MSP, Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy, and other key representatives – such as apprentices from Spirit AeroSystems, which hosted the event in Prestwick – to share, discuss and debate how our industries can tackle the challenge of diversity.
After the successful event in Scotland, and the growth of the charter, I’ve become increasingly aware of the wider influence someone like me can have to effect change for good, not only in our business but also externally in the industry and for society as a whole. Aviation has to tackle these same societal challenges and Virgin Atlantic is no exception. We are a very innovative airline, but this is a bigger issue than just us.
I strongly believe that in 15 years, when my son begins his working career, the conversation will be different for the next generation. It is our responsibility to drive change for the future, and as CAs we are in the highly privileged position of leading the conversation and being the change makers for those who come after us.