“Everyone brings unique strengths to the table,” she said. “What one person may lack, another may excel in — and that’s the beauty of teamwork. It’s this synergy that allows us to achieve more together than we ever could alone.”

Dharannya became an engineer thanks to her family’s encouragement and obtained her Masters in Power Electronics and Drives before joining Rotork as the Team Lead at RIDEC in Chennai, India.

She reflected on a high-pressure project delivered in collaboration with colleagues in Germany. She said: “We faced challenges like the language barrier, time zone differences, and working in a completely new software environment that we had to learn quickly. The German team played a crucial role by testing the system and providing us with timely feedback, which enabled us to continue making the necessary modifications. It was a true team effort that helped us stay on track despite the tight deadline.”

This project, for Dharannya, represents INWED25’s theme of #TogetherWeEngineer.  

“Brainstorm is the single word that comes to my mind,” she said. “We wanted to do multiple things at the same time and with the same resources, so our team came together with their ideas and brainstormed to understand and analyse the feasibility of what was workable. In the end, we were able to deliver a really good solution.”

Speaking about her experience as a woman in engineering, she said: “I don’t think of myself as a ‘woman engineer’ – I simply see myself as an engineer. My focus is on the work, not the gender. Innovation knows no boundaries, and great ideas can come from any mind. So, trust in your abilities and believe in yourself.”