Spotlight on Women in Building Automation

For #womensinternationlmonth, we are spotlighting the women here at Ouman who work in the field of building automation and their experiences and outlooks on working in a male-dominated field. This is Marika Kirsil?.

In 2003, Marika began working as an office secretary for a company in the field of building automation. Here, she discovered her genuine interest and passion for the technology, leading her to stay in the field for the rest of her career. She quickly increased her responsibilities, eventually becoming an administrative supervisor. In 2012, she joined Ekonor, which later merged with Ouman and Enerpoint. Alongside her career, Marika pursued a vocational qualification in technology and leadership.

In 2016, Marika transitioned to her current role at Ouman as an account manager. While her primary responsibilities revolve around sales and managing customer relationships, she also heavily involved in various other activities, including finance tasks and smaller installation projects. Marika appreciates the diversity of her job and the opportunity to collaborate closely with her customers.

The most rewarding aspect of her role is witnessing customer satisfaction with Ouman’s solutions and systems. It brings her joy to see customers achieving tangible benefits, such as significant cost savings while reducing energy consumption.

As a woman in building automation...

"I believe I am treated equally to my male colleagues. In the few instances where I've noticed differential treatment, it has often been in positive ways. For example, some customers have opted to contact me directly instead of other contacts listed on our website, perhaps because of the perception that women are more approachable.

Of course, when I started in building automation almost 20 years ago, things were quite different. Occasionally at some worksites, someone would make an inappropriate joke. Typically, it became clear to them that such remarks were not well-received, prompting them to stop immediately.

Overall, I do not believe gender makes a difference in building automation and I do not believe it should play a part in why someone is hired. It would however be great to see more women applying for building automation roles. Sometimes women bring different perspectives to things, as I've observed with one of my female coworkers who works as an installer. Her perspectives are valuable and a great asset in certain situations.

"I am passionate about building automation because technology is constantly evolving, and I learn something new almost every day."

Additionally, it's rewarding to know that our work contributes to reducing carbon emissions. To any women considering a career in building automation, I would emphasize how many options there are within the field and how awesome it is to work with modern technology.

For those with no existing familiarity of building automation, it might seem overwhelmingly complex and unfamiliar. I wish I could tell them that it is not as daunting as it may appear and if you are even a little interested, it is worth it to explore it more."