Stories Of Women in Engineering – Beatriz Alonso

How did you develop your interest in engineering?  

My father’s family has a tradition of engineering; they are all mining engineers and my grandfather, from a very young age, instilled in me a passion for this field. When I finished school I decided to study aeronautics because, although I am a fan of cars, I was more curious about how an aircraft flies. 

Can you describe your role and responsibilities?   

I am Technical Leader of ALTEN Spain’s main client in the aerospace sector. A Technical Leader’s responsibilities include managing client relations, overseeing consultant assignments, and ensuring timely delivery and quality. Moreover, the role involves providing comprehensive support to the team, handling the workload, and meeting technical challenges as well as responding to personal concerns. At the same time, it involves being open to supporting other projects. 

What are the main skills you need to carry out your projects?  

For me, the main skills I need are to be a hard worker and to be able to multitask; we have a lot of projects at different sites, so sometimes you have to be in several places at the same time. Also, I believe it is important to be close to the team and that they trust me enough to speak with me about any issue they have. It’s important to make them feel part of the team despite teleworking, part of ALTEN. 

What is your vision of the place of women in the engineering world? 

Currently, the presence of women in engineering is proportionally much lower than that of men. But day by day, we are growing in number and responsibility, and taking on positions of power. For example, in the project I currently lead we are eight women; a year ago there were only two. Likewise, in the business management positions related to my position the number of women has increased this year, making us the majority. We must encourage new generations to see these professions as an option for their futures.  

What role has ALTEN played in your professional development? How has the company supported your growth and advancement? 

ALTEN believed in me and gave me increasing responsibility. I started with a team of three people – today I head up a team of 30. This is possible because ALTEN bet on me; with my work and my effort, I was able to meet the challenge and to continue growing. 

What are your career goals?  

My goal is to maintain my professional growth and development and to continue adapting to new environments and challenges, working to meet these new challenges that inspire me to always give my best. In short, to keep evolving, growing and advancing with my field. 

How do you see your expertise and experience contributing to the advancement of engineering? 

Since I started working, I have felt a passion for this field of engineering and I have made an effort every day to continue growing as a professional. In the short term, I would like to be able to lead in more areas, for instance in defense and space. In the long term, I would like to be responsible for technical management in the aeronautical area of ALTEN, applying my work and experience to provide a solid environment for the new generations of engineers who are part of the company. My experience can be useful in helping to train new generations – to ensure that engineering continues to have great professionals.  

How do you see this concept playing out in the context of engineering and innovation? 

Today’s world is in constant evolution, oriented towards innovation and maximum sustainability. From an aeronautical engineering perspective, this translates into an approach to air transportation that is zero-emissions, environmentally friendly, and autonomous enough to perform long-range flights. Currently, this goal is becoming a reality thanks to the development of zero-emission aircraft in collaboration with our clients. 

What do you enjoy most about your day-to-day?   

I love my job, but I think the best part is helping my team members to solve any problems they may have, be they technical, work-related or personal. At the same time, my daily goal is to improve the communications and the relationship with our client; this allows us to create a solid and collaborative work environment, take on a greater workload, and in turn, promote team growth. Being responsible for ensuring that this relationship is fluid, contributing to managing the workload, and ensuring the quality and timely delivery of the tasks we perform is a part of the job that I really like. 

Which emerging technologies and trends will have the greatest impact on future engineering projects? 

If everything goes well with zero-emission aircraft, it will revolutionize the world of aviation. 

What role can women engineers play in inspiring and empowering others to make a positive impact on the world? 

Women have to work on being role models and mentors for the next generations, helping to break the gender stereotypes that we have now – to show how women can do the same jobs as men, and sometimes do them even better. Women engineers can be powerful supporters of positive change by working for diversity and inclusion. Women’s contributions not only impact the field of engineering, but also inspire others to pursue careers that have a meaningful and positive impact on the world.