infraTest Prüftechnik invites power women of the asphalt industry for an interview

Approximately 51% of the German population are women. Reason enough to show them our appreciation on International Women’s Day and say THANK YOU! Because only a few work in male domains. infraTest admires the strong women of our industry and has invited three representative power women for an interview.

We welcome Dr.-Ing. Plamena Plachkova-Dzhurova (Head of the Department of Road Construction Engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Elena Rudi (Head of the Central Laboratory at Basalt AG) and Katrin Hunstock (Consulting Engineer at Eurovia Germany).

infraTest: Good morning everyone! Thank you very much for welcoming us to our women’s round table. Ms Plachkova-Dzurova, did you already know as a young girl what path you would take?

P. Plachkova-Dzhurova: No, not at all. I really wanted to be a military pilot and had prepared myself for it. As luck would have it, no women were accepted in the year I graduated from school, so I looked around for an alternative.

infraTest: Military pilot – that’s a really special career aspiration! Ms Rudi, what was it like for you? When I look at your CV, it seems to have gone perfectly.

E. Rudi:I already knew in the 11th grade that I wanted to study civil engineering and also at which university. Architecture would certainly have been interesting, but I realised the advantages of studying engineering after I had done more research. So I determinedly set out on my path.

infraTest: I see, but what about the studies? Are there subjects you should particularly enjoy and what was the distribution between men and women?

K. Hunstock: I think you should definitely have an affinity for maths. You have to do a lot of calculations in your studies. In terms of the distribution of men and women, there used to be a male surplus. I would estimate that there were 10% women in my degree programme. That has probably changed by now.

P. Plachkova-Dzhurova: I can confirm that. When I look at my courses now, the distribution is almost even.

infraTest: How clearly do you feel it as a woman to work in a male domain? Do young women have to do more to succeed?

K. Hunstock: I started in the construction industry 18 years ago and at that time it was still difficult for a woman to gain a management position. Women are also clearly outnumbered at events in our industry. You can’t deny that our industry is a “men’s club”. But through internships and my work experience, I have gained insights into the most diverse areas, so that I have been able to convince with my know-how.

P. Plachkova-Dzhurova: In my everyday work, I don’t notice working in a male domain. Yes, at the beginning of my career it was difficult and I had to work for my position. But I don’t want to claim that this was exclusively due to my gender. Maybe it was also a generational conflict that contributed to it.

E. Rudi: I agree! Thanks to the great pioneer women, like Mrs. Hunstock, we can rather talk about a fundamental generation conflict today. Young people are growing up in a digital world. There are bound to be differences of opinion between the established leadership and the ambitious newcomers. Both men and women have to prove themselves. If you do excellent work and appear self-confident, this should be rewarded regardless of gender.

infraTest: Many educated young women strive for a successful career and still want a family with children. The urge for self-realisation is becoming stronger among the next generation. How can both wishes be fulfilled?

K. Hunstock: It’s not easy, but it’s doable. My job involves a lot of travelling. So I am rarely at home under normal circumstances. Without a strong and understanding partner, it will be a challenge to reconcile children and job. Every woman needs to be clear in advance about what her goals are and coordinate them with her partner.

E. Rudi: In a management position you have more responsibility. A regular 8-hour day is therefore rather the exception.

infraTest: What do you wish young women who are now entering our industry and what advice would you give them?

P. Plachkova-Dzhurova: I would be happy if more women had the courage to enter our industry. Our fields of work are many and varied. Have self-confidence and work tirelessly on your skills. Keep your eyes on the goal and don’t let setbacks drag you down.

K. Hunstock: You don’t have to be able to do everything right away. We grow from our challenges and that’s how self-confidence can grow. Don’t make yourself small, but still be self-reflective.

E. Rudi: Stay true to yourself. If you really want it and fight for your goal, you will achieve it. Develop passion for your work and burn for what you do. Then success will come almost by itself. Weigh your strengths and weaknesses. That way you will find a position in which you feel comfortable.

infraTest: You are all three strong, emancipated power women who are paving the way for our upcoming generation. I thank you very much for that! I also notice similarities between you, which are perhaps part of your “recipe for success”: Determination, discipline, perseverance, authenticity and competence. You inspire and encourage young women so that in a few years they will be standing next to you at the top.

Thank you very much for your time and the pleasant conversation! We look forward to seeing you again soon and hope that our contribution will encourage more women to realise their dreams.