Jan Ward - Heavy Metal

Jan Ward - Making Progress in a "Man's World".

Jan Ward says "..don’t take no for an answer."

With a background as a mechanical engineer, Jan Ward is Chief Executive and founder of Corrotherm International Ltd, a company specialising in the supply and export of high alloys to niche markets.  Recently her “passion and dedication” were rewarded with a NatWest everywoman Award.

She was described at the ceremony opened by Prime Minister’s wife, Sarah Brown, as “ a perfect example of the entrepreneurial nature women business owners in the UK embody, overcoming significant challenges to achieve …..success.”

She told Abi Mowbray,  “It was a real shock to win it. My husband put me in for it, I didn’t even know.”

There’s a distinct advantage, Jan believes, afforded to women working in a male environment.  “It’s not glamorous in any way. But I think it’s easier to be a woman in this industry because you stand out and you’re remembered. Men are impressed when you’re technically capable.

“I’d like more women to consider it as a career, not just the technical job but maybe international trade. Just introducing the idea to more women would be great.

“Most women just aren’t interested in mechanical things. I don’t know if it’s the way we’re taught or if we’re just not exposed to it. I’ve found if you put Mechano on the floor next to colouring pencils girls will reach for the colouring pencils.

“To entice more women into the industry I’d explain how interesting the job is. There’s something new to learn every day. I’ve had to learn a lot about my customers’ and suppliers’ cultures. I’ve travelled all over the world and lived in lots of different places.”

But what about often being in a minority of one?  “I’ve always stood out because it’s what I’ve always done. In terms of the commercial side of things it’s a great bonus.”

“I started out studying international trade. Then I fell into a job selling stainless steel tubes. I realised I was very interested in the technical side of things and it all went from there.”

“If I’d had the opportunity to know about my kind of work at school I’d have known straight away that I wanted to do it. Careers advisors think there aren’t any jobs in manufacturing. That’s because the industry has such bad PR, its just not high profile, not talked about, not out there.

“For the last 20 years the government has been telling everyone we don’t need manufacturing but now they realise they do so the profile is slowly rising.”                   

The chance to travel and to discover other cultures was a huge attraction but getting to jet around the world was a challenge for a woman.

“I left jobs because they wouldn’t let me travel. It was worse for me trying to get to go to the Middle East as a young woman,” she says.

This, it seems, also drove her to succeed, to get to the kind of position where she made the decisions and was mistress of her own future.  “As soon as I was in a situation where I could make my own decisions I went for it straight away. Being able to travel has been a big driver in my career.”

And the route that she took led to setting up her own company and succeeding in a way that many men have failed to do in this male domain.

She advises young women to consider their options, not to just follow the traditional roles and to fight for what they want.

“My advice is don’t take no for an answer. You’ve got to be determined. Go round it, over it, through it even but find a way to get there, even if it takes a long time.”

And there’s no doubting that Jan Ward has got there – as the NatWest everywoman Award underlines.

Abi Mowbray