Ten ladies shaping the way forward for robotics in 2025. | Supply: IFR
To present ladies in robotics extra visibility and acknowledgment, the Worldwide Federation of Robotics, or IFR, this week named 10 ladies who’re shaping the robotics business. The group mentioned it hopes the record will encourage ladies and younger ladies to pursue a profession in science, know-how, engineering, and arithmetic (STEM) or robotics and assist firms to succeed in gender equality and overcome staffing shortages.
At the moment, ladies make up 48% of the overall workforce and simply 34% of the STEM workforce, in response to the Nationwide Women Collaborative Undertaking. In the case of engineering and robotics roles, the quantity is even smaller, with ladies solely making up about 16% of the workforce.
In instances of demographic change and an growing lack of expert labor, economies across the globe can’t ignore a sure share of it, mentioned the IFR. Furthermore, a extra numerous workforce has been confirmed to assist firms improve productiveness, competitiveness, and innovation, mentioned the group.
A examine from the Max Planck Institute for Clever Techniques, or MPI-IS, just lately discovered that tutorial plus workforce range can drive extra creativity and innovation. The institute mentioned it brings extra productiveness and ends in methods which might be wide-reaching and higher at concentrating on bias.
The IFR mentioned that whereas the gender hole is narrowing down and the feminine labor-force participation charge is growing in lots of components of the world, there nonetheless is a big hole within the manufacturing sectors. That is particularly exacerbated on the subject of feminine engineers and scientists. For example, the feminine participation charge is just half that of the service sector in Europe.
Meet the IFR’s 10 ladies shaping robotics
The IFR’s 2025 awardees are:
- Albane Dersy, co-founder and chief working officer of Inbolt, France
- Ashlie Taivalkoski, director of gross sales at SCHUNK, U.S.
- Dr. Caren Dripke, head of growth robotics at Lorch Schweißtechnik, Germany
- Julia Astrid Riemenschneider, CEO of Rethink Robotics, U.S.
- Kari DeSantis, normal supervisor, company advertising at FANUC America, U.S.
- Feng (Kate) Xu, bead of China analysis and growth at ABB Robotics, China
- Kateryna Portmann, Senior Product Supervisor at ANYbotics, Switzerland
- Susanne Nördinger, UR+ ecosystem supervisor for EMEA and head of ecosystem success at Common Robots, Germany
- Yumie Kubota, govt officer and supervisor of the AI Robotics Division at Yaskawa Electrical Corp./president of AI Dice, Japan
- Yunzhi (Amber) Qi, co-founder and normal supervisor of the Abroad Enterprise Division at YOUIBOT Robotics, China
Specifically, the IFR was in search of ladies who’ve a confirmed monitor document in robotics, stand out as business leaders, or have a confirmed exercise in encouraging younger individuals to enter STEM or assist females in robotics. It thought-about ladies from all around the globe, a wide range of firm sizes, and totally different ranges of expertise.
“The European Fee’s new Competitiveness Compass highlights the combination of robotics as a key know-how to spice up innovation,” said the IFR. “Inspiring ladies to take up STEM topics and discover profession choices is vital: Numerous groups push innovation, and the robotics business gives nice financial alternatives for high-quality jobs.”
The Robotics Summit & Expo, which will likely be on April 30 and Might 1 in Boston, will embrace a ticketed Girls in Robotics Breakfast on Day 2 of the occasion.
Register now so you do not miss out!
