Women in Leadership: An Interview with Thales UK’s Julie Martin

Julie Martin, Naval Key Account Manager for Thales UK, reflects on her impressive career progression to senior leadership, as she celebrates 20 years of working with Thales. From mentoring, to the importance of flexible working, Julie highlights some of the ways technology companies can encourage more women into leadership roles.

Could you tell me about your career so far and how that’s led to working for the UK maritime business unit at Thales?

2022 marks my 20 years with Thales! I would have never expected to stay this long, but with so many interesting and varied career opportunities, I’ve never felt the desire to leave. I’ve worked across different sites and different businesses, constantly developing and growing my skillsets. My background is as a scientist, with my early career in the Defence Research Agency, where I was the technical lead for research programmes in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. I later moved into Project Management, joining Thales in the Air domain, then in the Land domain, and subsequently Maritime; specifically submarines, so you could say I’ve been constantly moving downwards!

Having spent the majority of my time in the submarines business, which is very close to my heart, I’ve worked with such a great team, dedicated to providing the very best capability to the end users. I’m now fortunate to have a role which allows me to cover the whole of Thales’ maritime offering: submarines, surface ships and maritime air, allowing me to work with the full breadth of expertise across our businesses.

How have Thales supported your development and career progression?

When I look back over my career, I feel very lucky to have landed in Thales. The company has supported me at every step, always encouraging me to develop myself, be confident to take the next step and provided me with the support and training required. In my 20 years with the company, not only have I worked my way up to director level, but I have had two children, always with the full support of Thales and, more importantly, my line managers.

Recognising the support Thales has given me has meant I’ve wanted to put in the extra hours. The flexibility that Thales provides means I can work the hours that suit me, enabling me to have a productive career within the company.

How can we encourage more women to pursue senior leadership roles in their career?

For me, flexibility has definitely been the key in allowing me to progress to senior levels, whilst managing family commitments; however this flexibility should apply to both men and women. By making it possible to share family responsibilities, women have the opportunity to progress their careers equally alongside their male colleagues. I think this often gets overlooked, but is definitely something my husband and I have benefitted from. He also works for Thales, and has been given the flexibility to change his working pattern, creating a balance that works for us both. It’s truly been a team effort!

What advice did you receive early in your career that has stayed with you?

Find a mentor. Seek out a person in the organisation who you admire and trust, someone you can ask questions and get support. Sometimes these people naturally appear, and other times you have to go and look for them. I’ve had a number of mentors during my time with Thales, who have all been fantastic and given me the confidence to take the next step. Sometimes you just need someone to give you a gentle nudge.