Fiona Clark

"I think my personality types are spot on! I am someone who likes to help others - whether that is with giving them information about what we do, or offering support as they grow through their careers. It is important to me that my customers understand clearly how they will benefit with our equipment, so I like to give them information in a way that they can understand easily and help them make good choices. Our equipment is quite complex, so being able to explain what it does in an accessible way is quite a skill. And being able to see where it could be better, and drive through that change is an important aspect of my work. So being a Communicator, Influencer and Investigator pretty well sums me up!My job has many aspects, as I describe in the section below, which fit perfectly with my 3 personality types: I train all our new starters in the art of Electronic Warfare. I also spent many years training customers to be able to get the most out of their equipment. Training ranges from a from a quick overview to month long, in-depth courses for our customers, so my skills as a \"Communicator\" have definitely been put to the test over the years!Being able to describe our complex equipment and capability in simple terms to influence a customer to choose us sits perfectly with the role of \"Influencer\".Seeing how a design is put together and how it operates in the real world - and then seeing how it could be made better is a classic role for an \"Investigator\". It is also essential for deciding what we should research, design and develop in the future, which is another aspect of my role.I've done a number of roles over my time of work, and the ones I have enjoyed most have always been the ones that fit these core characteristics - I only discovered \"My Skills My Life\" recently, but if I'd known about it before it would definitely have helped me to choose roles that fitted with my working profile!"

"I work for a large engineering company that makes avionics equipment for aircraft. Specifically we make defence and surveillance equipment. We support the Royal Air Force and British Army in their roles by providing them with protective equipment for their aircraft, from small helicopters, through to the Apache gunships, then for fast jets including Typhoons today and on to the next generation fighter currently called Tempest. Our equipment does 2 key things: Firstly it detects enemy weapon systems and battlefield radars that might be trying to do us harm, showing the pilot and aircrew a clear picture of the situation around them and what their danger is. This picture allows them to decide how best to go about their mission without coming into harms way - if that is possible. Secondly, our equipment provides electronic counter-measures to defeat those weapon systems and missiles so that our aircraft and, more importantly, aircrew, come home safely. So should they find themselves being engaged by a gun or missile system, they have defences to help them escape.My job has many aspects: one is to understand the complexities of the equipment we make, and make it work better. I love getting to grips with a tricky technical challenge and working out a solution with my team - the satisfaction you get once you've cracked the problem is amazing! Another aspect is to describe our equipment and capability in simple terms for customers who may be new to this line of work and encourage them to do business with Leonardo. This is often done face to face, but may be through presentation or written material. When I did my maths degree I never though I'd end up writing technical documents for a living! But crafting something that's technically complex, yet clearly written and perfect for the job allows me to use my creative side and to empathise with different people from different cultures. This bit of my job also allows me to travel in support of the Sales team.Finally I am responsible for driving research into what we should be making over the next 10 - 30 years, that means I look after the financial aspects of that research, and get to work closely with our bright young engineers as the play with new technology and see what it can do..."

"I studied maths at university, because it was the only thing I really felt I could \"do\". I had no idea what I wanted to do at the end, so applied to various places - banks, accounting, I even thought about joining the Navy! A friend had joined Marconi (which is what Leonardo was called back then) and said the work was fun and that they were hiring lots of maths, physics and engineering graduates, so I applied there too.Now, defence is not a career that many young ladies may consider - and I admit I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into when I started! However, this is true defence, and everything I work on is concerned with preserving life. The technology involved is cutting edge and constantly changing, providing lots of challenges for us to get our teeth into. And the people who work there are just fantastic - clever, funny, interested, supportive and genuinely wanting to get the best solution to the latest challenge. It's like going to work with a group of your friends - the work may be serious, but the atmosphere is fun!I'd thought I'd stay a couple of years and then move on, but I've ended up being there 39 years - yes 39 years!!! I've done such a lot of different things and worked for lots of different bosses who've been supportive and allowed me to try new things, make mistakes, learn from them and grow. So the interesting work, great people and varying challenges have inspired me to stay all that time. Plus the travel and lifelong friends I've made along the way!"

"In my spare time I'm a singer with a swing band. We play local gigs and do all the classic swing / jazz / blues songs, as well as modern songs done in a swing style (think Michael Buble or Robbie Williams). I just love singing to an audience and being part of a group of talented people making live music, there is nothing like it!Apart from that, I'm mum to 2 grown-up daughters who are now starting their own careers. I enjoy meeting up with my friends, going for long country walks, and helping out with some local charity groups. "

"It may sound cliched, but I don't really have a \"typical\" day, which is another reason I love my job. There will always be the time spent answering emails, of course, but otherwise I may be doing any combination of: - creating course material for my next training course, or delivering that course to a bunch of engineers or business employees- getting my teeth into a tricky technical problem that will help us improve the performance of a piece of equipment- getting my head around the latest technology coming out of the research teams and trying to see how it will fit our needs in 20 years time!- writing technical documents to support the Sales team when they go to talk to customers- briefing journalists about our capability - making complicated things really easy to grasp so they can write about them accurately- preparing for flight trials, planning out how to get the best of our time in the air- Flying! Making sure our equipment is doing exactly what it needs to do to help the end user, our RAF pilots, see their environment and keep them safe"

"\"A\" Levels: Maths, Further Maths and Physics, Mary Datchelor Girls' School Degree: Maths at Cambridge University Masters: Maths from Cambridge (awarded automatically 3 years after the degree)I think I applied to Cambridge at a time when they wanted more girls from state schools, so I feel lucky - and incredibly privileged - to have been able to go."