She started her career in 1998 in aerospace engineering and was often the only woman in the room. “You got your list of tasks from the engineering manager and that was it,” she said. “There was little collaboration, no ‘big picture’ thinking, and I felt this stifled innovation because you were told the answer rather than encouraged to explore it.”

Today, things are different. At Rotork, where Bernadette is Global Head of Product Sustainability & Programme Management, her voice is heard – not as a female engineer, but simply as an engineer. “Diversity is less about counting heads and more about everyone accepting that everybody's voice in a discussion is equal,” she said.

For Bernadette, the real value of diversity lies in varied perspectives. “Different backgrounds bring different questions to engineering challenges, which result in more creative solutions,” she explained.  

Communication, not technical complexity, is often the biggest challenge to innovation. She added: “When we stop and really listen, that’s when innovative thinking happens. That’s where teamwork shows its real value.”

Bernadette, who oversees sustainability and programme management at Rotork, experiences first-hand how cross-functional collaboration drives success.  

“Engineering can’t deliver products alone – we need to work closely with other departments like procurement, supply chain, IT, marketing and more,” she said. “That’s the spirit of #TogetherWeEngineer, the theme for International Women in Engineering Day 2025. It’s not just about gender, or even engineers. It’s about everyone contributing, communicating and creating something greater together.

“Every day, there's a new challenge to solve and that’s what keeps me energised.”