Today (8 March) is International Women’s Day. On Friday we heard from Connie about her role and why she got into the Security sector. This morning we speak to Marika from the SC21 team.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what your role is

I am Marika De Rosa, I have worked for 6 years for the SC21 Programme, which has grown into the largest Supply Chain Improvement programme in the UK Aerospace and Defence sectors, with more than 900 participant companies and £20m of Government investments.

During this time with ADS, I have had the fantastic opportunity to set the objectives of the Programme and to lead the implementation of improvements to ensure that the performance, development, quality and collaboration guidelines are successfully delivered across the UK A&D supply chain.

Thanks to my work on Quality activities, I received the UK MoD Quality Award as Rising Star in 2019 and I currently represent the UK National Aerospace Industry Association (NAIA). I was the solely representative of ADS at the CBI’s 2019 Annual Conference, which saw the participation of the current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Leader of the Opposition at the time, Jeremy Corbyn.

During my years at ADS, I have contributed to a large number of Committees, covering a diverse range of topics: helping to set the Business Ethics pillars, discussing how to defeat Counterfeits, deciding the best practise and case study companies of the A&D sectors, establishing a value-based strategic direction for Quality and establishing the Industry Standards.

What made you join the aerospace sector and what do you like about it?

Definitely my passion for Aerospace and the big career opportunities arising in this sector had a big role in my decision to specialise in Aeronautics studies.

In 2013 I obtained a Master’s Degree in Management Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II. I have always loved STEM studies and I enjoyed to be in a Engineering course where it was more common to see girls around, compared to other Engineering courses.

I then attained two Postgraduate Specialisation degrees, one in “Systems Engineering Approach For Advanced Materials Application In Aeronautics” in the USA and in Italy and one in “Entrepreneurial Analysis of Engineering Design”, with Italian, American and Mexican Universities. During the postgraduate studies, I started to experience the excitement of being in a multicultural environment, which leverages on diversity as point of strength.

My career began as Quality Control Specialist in the Italian Aeronautics industry, with Laer Srl and Magnaghi Aeronautica SpA, both Tier 1 companies for Leonardo. After these work experiences, I decided to move to London, looking for more opportunities and to work in this renowned melting pot.

I find that Aerospace is a sector continuously in evolution, with focus on innovation, which gives the opportunity to travel the world and to be in contact with very knowledgeable and experienced professionals.

What would you say to other women who may be considering a career in aerospace?

Go for it! The Aerospace and Defence sectors are so varied that you can easily find the role that appeals the most to you. Working in a highly technological sector offers the opportunity to work on activities based on continuous improvement, and you will never get bored! I have always found extremely interesting to work in a company that has an eye towards the future.

The Aerospace sector is opening up to women, who may aspire to leadership roles, complex technical disciplines, and equal remuneration and benefits. The more we take these roles, the more we have a voice on rights for women and have a career.

Nowadays, matters like flexibility and being given the option to work from home are hot topics and are getting even more visibility due to the Covid-19 situation, therefore this can facilitate not only women who want to have a baby and a career at the same time, but also women (in general) and men to have a better quality life!

If you would like to know more about me, please connect with me on LinkedIn.