On Thursday the 3^rd of March it was time for our meeting with Nigel Stien, CEO of GKN plc at GKN’s office Pall Mall in London. We had a very relaxed and interesting meeting with Nigel, where he told us about his career, what his journey has been like and which turns it has taken. Nigel pointed out how important it is to take the chances, since everything is not possible to predict and plan and that the opportunities will come, you need to be patient and he pointed the importance of always do your job well for each moment. Furthermore, we discussed a lot about leadership and the importance of balance in life, something I personally think is incredibly important and crucial in the long run (but of course it’s easier to say than to actually carry out in practice). Besides this, we talked a lot about future issues; such as were GKN stands in a few years, the challenges Nigel sees within the company and the aerospace industry in general.

One topic that interests me extraordinary is how the company attracts women to the engineering profession; it became evident that also Nigel finds that as a hot topic. Something that was noticed throughout the study trip was that we in Sweden have come relatively far in that field; here at GKN in Trollhättan you are rarely the only girl in the room – although the majority are still men. For me it is important and good to hear that the management, even at such a high level, values gender equality and is prepared to work actively in the question.

After an intensive study visit week, which went too quick and was incredibly fun, we are back in business in Trollhättan again and I have just started my final internship here in Trollhättan before heading off abroad – more about that later.

I would like to finish with a quote from Nigel Stein:

”Enjoy what you are doing. You need to love your whole life.”