Women in STEM - Interview with Econic CEO Dr Rowena Sellens

Ahead of International Women’s Day, we caught up with Dr Rowena Sellens, CEO of Econic Technologies, to find out more about her role and how more women can be encouraged into STEM careers.

Could you tell us a bit about your role at Econic?

I’m the CEO of Econic Technologies, a leading carbon capture utilisation firm that has pioneered catalyst technology to allow manufacturers to create sustainable polyurethane plastics, used in a wide variety of everyday goods, from carbon dioxide.

Our catalyst allows manufacturers to replace a large proportion of the oil feedstocks used in the production of polyols, the building blocks of polyurethane, with carbon dioxide. This means that the products can be created below today’s cost and they tend to have enhanced performance characteristics – heightened abrasion resistance in coatings, or increased flame retardancy in foams, for instance – whilst carbon dioxide emissions are simultaneously cut, potentially by up to two million cars’ worth each year.

It’s a really exciting time at Econic. We’re scaling up the business and are continuing to take the catalyst out of the lab and onto the factory floor. No two days as CEO are the same: one day I could be meeting potential investors, and the next I could be speaking at a conference attended by some of the biggest names in the industry. No matter what, there’s no avoiding my turn to make the coffee!

What are the biggest challenges in the role?

A key part of the job involves driving a conservative industry to embrace change. There are a lot of inbuilt misconceptions about plastics, namely that they are all bad. It is right to be concerned about emissions or pollution, but we must not forget that plastics have revolutionised our lives, and have actually helped drive forwards sustainability. We all want to work towards making the production, use and disposal of plastics more sustainable, to lessen the problems we see such as ocean pollution. But to totally eliminate plastics would be a negative environmental step. We need to ensure we are driving in the right direction and present the clear facts for balanced decisions. Educating people is fundamental to the industry. 

Of course, there are well documented challenges with diversity, too. This problem is not unique to the industrial, plastics or STEM sectors, but it is certainly more acute. Fewer than a third of the scientists working in the UK are women, which in 2020 is pretty incredible.

At Econic, we have close to a 50-50 gender split, so I like to think we’re not only challenging perceptions about plastic, but are also helping overturn outdated assumptions that STEM is a man’s subject.

How did you get into STEM?

As a child, I was always really interested in maths, and was definitely planning to go down that career route. When I was 17, I was lucky to have a really inspirational teacher who helped me develop my passion for chemistry. That chemistry teacher really brought the subject to life and helped me to recognise that I was most interested in understanding how science can make the world around us better.

Having an inspiration, or a role model, is hugely important, and this is exactly how we can encourage young people of all backgrounds into STEM. There’s been something of a ‘Brian Cox effect’ in physics, and the recent explosion of interest in sustainability will hopefully drive even more young people into the sciences. Most of the graduates we have working for us, for example, really want to make a difference to the world their families will grow up in.

Why are women so underrepresented in STEM careers?

To an extent, there will be a certain amount of unconscious bias. I’ve been fortunate never to have experienced any damaging direct discrimination, but I suspect that unconscious bias has influenced some of the decisions that led to me not being considered for certain roles and opportunities.

I think that there are assumptions and perceptions about what you can do as a woman in STEM that influence decisions right from school through to career choices. I know some male former colleagues of mine in the chemical industry, who were otherwise great people to work with, whose assumptions were only challenged, and changed, when they faced the reality of the choices and hurdles their own daughters could encounter in pursuing their dream STEM careers.

It’s really important we change, and not just because there is a moral imperative to, but because there are huge business benefits from diversity. In my experience diverse teams bring with them diverse thinking and creative solutions to problems that homogeneous teams might not have come up with!

Will the situation improve?

There has been some improvement already, but of course there is still a way to go. Fundamental changes in perceptions and the way we manage don’t happen overnight. Positive reinforcement is the strongest driver, so as teams have already become slightly more diverse; as businesses realise the benefits that this can bring; and as these people move into leadership roles, we’ll only see greater diversity. In other words, diversity breeds diversity.

We can spur progress by helping overturn assumptions around STEM by showcasing female role models. I’ve experienced the benefits of this first hand, and this is why days like International Women’s Day, which gives us the opportunity to talk about the achievements of women like Marie Curie and Anne McLaren, are so important. Looking to the future, I’m definitely optimistic. I would encourage people to look around them for the inspiration in their area: there are many great examples, they just might not be shouting loudly about themselves.

What advice would you give to women working in STEM?

I hope that my advice could apply to all situations: know your values and stick with them, otherwise it is difficult to work hard and give your all to something if you don’t believe in what you are doing. Understand and be honest about your strengths and weaknesses, and let that give you the confidence to strive for your ambitions.

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