Sarah Chapman is Head of EMEA Product Compliance and Women in STEM Ambassador at 3M. The Manufacturer recently sat down with her to discuss the importance of role models, the varied journeys into STEM careers and her work as an advocate.
Unusual career path
“My route into STEM was quite unusual because I wanted to be a ballet dancer and by the time I was beginning to think seriously about a career, I was still training six days a week, until such time as my feet told me that ballet was perhaps not the career for me,” explained Sarah.
This represented a turning point in her journey as prior to this, she had never considered doing anything else. She dropped her so-called ‘creative’ A-Levels during her first term and restarted, this time opting for biology, chemistry, geography and maths. “I perceived these subjects as more difficult and had initially written them off. However, I soon found out that there is a good deal of creativity in STEM subjects and I wasn’t bad at them after all, as I had many transferable skills from other subjects that could be used. It was good to try something new, and even if it was for the wrong reasons, I wanted to prove this to my Dad!” she said.
While studying chemistry, Sarah explained that she had a great female teacher who had worked within the manufacturing industry for a fruit cordial company. She spoke about the role she played in ensuring the drink was consistent, even if the harvests were not. “It blew my mind as it was the first time science was applied to something commercial which was part of my everyday life. It changed my perception of what science, technology and engineering was, and I began to see the variety of jobs available within the sector.”
At university, Sarah studied chemistry but admitted to struggling with the practical side of the course. “I didn’t really enjoy it and I decided that I didn’t want to work in a lab. But when discussing this with my tutor, they said that without a PhD or Masters, I wouldn’t have a career in science. Which I now know is false,” she said. Sarah left university after her three-year BSc with her first ‘career’ role being at 3M. She quickly realised that there were many jobs outside of a lab that brought creative, real-world problem-solving skills together with engineering.
Advocate for diversity
“The reason I’m such an advocate for girls in STEM is because we desperately need women in the sector, particularly in the areas of manufacturing and engineering. I’ve seen first-hand that with a mixed group of individuals, you can produce better ideas from a variety of perspectives,” explained Sarah. As a science company, 3M prides itself on innovation and that comes from ensuring diversity is a business imperative.
Another reason for Sarah’s passion is because her journey into the field was so untraditional and to fight the ‘genius’ myth around science and engineering subjects only being for those who are extremely intelligent. “There are a huge number of roles that require a much broader skill set, including collaboration, curiosity and determination. It’s about solving problems long-term and that stems from a diverse workforce,” she explained.
The challenge of visibility
One huge challenge Sarah sees within the industry is visibility. The industry requires diversity within its advocates to showcase the huge range of different roles and different people that perform them.
Looking at women within the industry, they face many issues that are prevalent across other sectors too such as being the primary care giver and flexibility around part time or shared roles. “I have experienced this myself when working in roles that required lots of travel. When I was younger it was great, but now, due to having a family, I want to stay home. I do a lot more work remotely and proved it possible as I manage a team of 60 people across Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” said Sarah. As an employer, flexible working needs to be part of practices as well as policies.
Another challenge is public attitudes towards science and technology, engineering and maths, and the barriers around them in education. “Most people perceive it as an expensive route. Its critical to allow access to information on the sector, careers and choice to those considering it.”
Promoting STEM
In November 2024, over 40 Guides and Rangers from units across Bracknell and Crowthorne visited the 3M site to learn how STEM skills can lead to exciting future careers. Sarah gave a keynote talk and asked them to think about whether their perception of a scientist had changed from prior to the visit, as well as how STEM is for everybody, regardless of background.
Sarah also works on promoting STEM outside of her work. “I work with Scouts, Cubs, Girl Guides and Brownies, providing STEM sessions for them. These groups, compared to some other out-of-school activities are affordable and provide help for those who wouldn’t be able to otherwise access them.”
Although mixed groups work well in these environments, there is benefit to some of those being girls only. “When you host sessions designed for girls and focused on girls, you get higher participation, and they tend to be more confident when taking part.” Young people need to be exposed to role models for different professions, if not they begin making assumptions unconsciously – you can’t be what you can’t see.
Stars and the streetlights
“For those wanting to get involved in being a STEM ambassador, don’t wait. Often, women think that their story is not good enough to be told, or to have influence on others. They wait until they are a manager, or a director. But it doesn’t matter, we need to promote women from all backgrounds, in any stage of their career, from a variety of roles,” said Sarah.
She used a ‘stars and the streetlights’ analogy when looking at the representation needed for promoting STEM careers. “The stars are the people who have put themselves in the public eye, are at the top of their game, smashing the glass ceiling and are extremely successful. Then you have the streetlights; those people are just as important, they are the managers, mentors, parents and teachers who have an influence every day. We don’t want to set up an idea that you must be at the very top to be successful.”
Looking ahead, the goal is to no longer have unrepresented groups across the industry, which may be far away, but for now, Sarah hopes that she continues to see positive improvements each day in the industry.
“From preschool age, I’d like to see science and engineering being spoken about, because it is all around us. Everything we do has some science or engineering behind it and we need to remove the stigma that you have to be a scientist or have formal training to do some of those things. It’s about curiosity and problem solving. Any girl with an interest in STEM should be able to pursue it,” said Sarah.
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