08 March 2021
Today is International Women's Day, a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
We speak to some of the talented women in our team at HEXR as they share an insight into their careers, motivation and the influences around them. We think you'll agree, they are pretty inspiring!
Nia Simpson, Design Engineer
Tell us a little bit about your role at HEXR?
Hi, I’m Nia — a design engineer at HEXR. I work alongside the other designers and engineers in developing new product ideas into manufactured products. My role typically involves prototyping using top facilities at Makerversity, testing and refining product ideas using leading research centres, and collaborating with my colleagues at Hexr and external manufacturers to design innovative products that make a difference to many.
Tell us about yourself outside of work – what do you enjoy, what motivates you?
Outside of work, I’m a big foodie and enjoy spending time with family and friends, usually over a good game or going on an outdoor adventure. Community is really important to me — I’m blessed to have a solid one that continues to encourage and push me to be the best I can be. Having a deep sense of purpose, that I’m here to help people through product design, is what continues to motivate me, and the community around me believes in and supports me on the journey.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given?
The best advice I’ve been given is to “unapologetically be myself”. I think I would’ve saved a lot of time when I was younger if I had truly walked in this, not trying to be like everyone else but the person I’ve been created to be. I’m thankful nowadays I’m more confident in myself and aware of where I need to grow.
Is there a particular woman you look up to and why?
I definitely look up to my Mum — she’s an interior designer and business owner, and I continue to be inspired by how resourceful and ingenious she is when solving problems. I believe she’d make a great engineer! I really aspire to be like her and I’m glad to have inherited that creative and resourceful trait. Mum, you rock!
Have you faced any barriers as a woman? What did you do to overcome them?
I’m glad I haven’t experienced many barriers as a woman (or rather, I’ve not been conscious of many barriers). I come from a community with a lot of strong and successful female leaders so I’ve never felt any kind of way being a woman. Of course, I am one of the few female design engineers in a male-dominated field, but I know that’s changing and I am a part of the change by bringing representation. Any barriers I’ve experienced have more so been related to my own self-doubt as opposed to people limiting me (thankfully, I like to prove people wrong!). But in general, I don’t let my gender nor my race (as a black woman) limit what I can do!
What main change would you like to see for young girls in the next generation?
I want to see more young girls believing in themselves and not trying to be like everybody else. I want to see the next generation of women understanding their purpose, what makes them incredible, and the great value that they have! I believe having this attitude and quiet confidence would change so many problems and barriers faced today. I believe I am a part of this change as I encourage the young women around me and try to live my life as a role model.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
I would give the same advice I received — “unapologetically be yourself”! There’s only one You; no one else can be that. The world needs you to be you, in all your unique and incredible ways. When you believe in yourself and stay true to who you are and what your purpose is, everything falls into place!
Connect with Nia on LinkedIn here
Joanne Clarke, Social Media Manager
Tell us a little bit about your role at HEXR?
I manage the digital content for HEXR – from social media, newsletters and any PR campaigns. I only joined the team recently but love being part of a startup and working in a fast-paced team.
Tell us about yourself outside of work – what do you enjoy?
I am a triathlete so outside of work I can often be found trying to train for three sports. I love being outdoors and exploring, whether that is finding new cycling routes or heading off on a long adventure in our van with the dog.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given?
I don’t think I have one single piece of advice that particularly stands out. I like to think that I have a big book of life advice, filled full of all the amazing things I have learned from people throughout the years. All their words of wisdom, help and knowledge have helped shaped me.
I was recently listening to a podcast featuring Olympic runner, writer and filmmaker Alexi Pappas. I liked her view on chasing a dream and ‘the rule of thirds”. It was a nice reminder that your goals (or just life!) won’t always be easy but just keep showing up:
“When you are chasing a dream or doing anything hard, you are meant to feel good one third of the time, OK one third of the time and crappy one third of the time. And if the ratio is roughly in that range then you are doing just fine...for those days when creativity doesn't come or you don't feel great, you still show up because maybe that is your crappy day. It doesn’t mean you quit your goal, it doesn’t mean you freak out. It means that you show up and live through that crap or that dip because you are chasing a dream and doing something hard”
Is there a particular woman you look up to and why?
I am inspired by my family and friends, all for their own unique reasons. There isn’t one particular person that I look up to more than the other, but they each inspire me in their own way.
If you can surround yourself with women who challenge and inspire you then it will change your life. I feel incredibly lucky to have an amazing group of women around me, all with their own qualities and strengths, whether that be their resilience, kindness, creativity, honesty or humour. The list goes on and I could honestly talk about them forever...
What main change would you like to see for young girls in the next generation?
I hope for a world where young girls can be themselves, unapologetically and authentically. I worry about the pressures of young girls growing up around social media, with unrealistic expectations of how they should look and act. If we can move away from the fake filters and instead prioritise real-life connections and friendships then I believe the younger generation are going to grow up to do incredible things and be unstoppable in pursuing their goals.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Probably the same as I mentioned earlier above…if you surround yourself with women who challenge and inspire you then it will change your life. Make sure the people you are around make you happy, build you up and allow you to be your unique self!
Connect with Joanne on LinkedIn here
Jess Lewis, Graphic Designer
Tell us a little bit about your role at HEXR?
I work as a freelance graphic designer for HEXR, working and overseeing the creative for the brand. This involves planning, designing and executing digital and print campaigns across all communication channels. This could be anything from the design of the eCommerce website to social media assets or packaging for the physical products.
Tell us about yourself outside of work – what do you enjoy, what motivates you?
Outside of work, I enjoy riding my bike and getting outdoors. Over the last year, I have got into mountain biking and really enjoy route planning and exploring new areas. Other than that, I enjoy just being creative and trying to learn new skills – at the moment I’m trying to improve my photography.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given?
“If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” Be proactive, don’t wait for the opportunities to come to you.
Is there a particular woman you look up to and why?
Probably my mum, she’s so incredibly hard-working and the person who inspired me to follow my creative career path. Other than that, I really admire female cyclists who speak out about gender inequality and the ultra-endurance athletes who are showing the men how it’s done.
Have you faced any barriers as a woman? What did you do to overcome them?
I think in general, the design world is very much a white, male dominated industry, but I don’t think I’ve necessarily faced any barriers myself. I’d like to think that my portfolio of work and passion for design can do the talking and persuade a client that I’m the right person for the job, regardless of my gender. However, I’m not blind to the fact that this isn’t the case for everyone.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
You can do anything in life, but you can’t do everything. Find what you’re really passionate about and just do what makes you happy.
Connect with Jess on LinkedIn here
Marija Trachtenberg, Software Engineer
Tell us a little bit about your role at HEXR?
I’m a Frontend Developer at HEXR and I look after the dashboard that manages our helmet orders, from first head scan to customer fulfilment. The dashboard is used by our internal operations team as well as our business partners. Contrary to what you might expect, the role involves close collaboration and communication with the rest of the business as it is important that the work we do helps the business meet its goals. As a part of that, the work not only involves bug fixes and creating new features, but also thinking about the wider architecture of the codebase and making sure that it is clean, streamlined, and readable so that our software can scale with the business.
Tell us about yourself outside of work – what do you enjoy, what motivates you?
One of the reasons I joined HEXR is that I’m an avid commuter cyclist. I love being able to easily cycle around London and am so impressed with the city’s cycling infrastructure. Apart from that I look forward to camping and climbing trips around the UK and hosting BBQs in my garden.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given?
‘Be concise’ and ‘Speak to be understood’.
Is there a particular woman you look up to and why?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late US Supreme Court Justice, for her work which led to the end of gender discrimination in many areas of the law.
What main change would you like to see for young girls in the next generation?
I’d love to see more women represented in all areas of work and politics. Currently, in the UK House of Commons, 34% are women; in the House of Lords its 28%. In the US Senate, it is 24%, and in the House of Representatives it is 27%. In the FTSE-350, only 34% of board roles are held by women and this falls to 29% for leaderships roles directly reporting to the executive committee.I’d also love to see more VC funding going towards women-led start-ups. Harvard Business Review reports that only 12% of decision makers at VC firms are women and in 2020, just 2.3% of women-led start-ups received funding from VCs, a fall from 2.8% in 2019.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Continue to meet people who lead lives that are different to yours.
Connect with Marija on LinkedIn here
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