Tag Archives: empowering

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us about your current job?
Hi, I’m Thant Phway. I am a Quality Engineer in Boeing Defence UK. One of my responsibilities is to ensure that the processes and procedures within our business comply with International Standards, Aerospace Standards and the Military Aviation Standards. I have been with Boeing for 4 years and prior to that I have worked in various areas of Engineering within the Oil & Gas Industry.

What/Who inspired you to pursue a career in STEM?
My dad is an Engineer and it was no doubt that I would be one too. He is always fixing things around the house and I was like his shadow. I used to help him take out tools he needed to fix a certain item and always interested in anything he was doing. He is however an Electrical Engineer and I knew from a very young age that I do not want to play with wires and I’d rather play with heavy tools and therefore, I studied Mechanical Engineering. Choosing Engineering was a very easy and smooth path for me. I have never wanted to do anything else.

How did you get to where you are today?
My parents have a huge influence on my journey to date. Both of them coached me well and gave me the directions I needed to make important decisions. As such, having a good ‘support team’ has helped me progress. I have also benefited tremendously from Leaders at work who mentor me and gives me the advice based on their own experiences. It is very important to have a mentor at every stage of your journey; be it in University or at work. Making mistakes is another most important factor that has contributed in my journey as without the mistakes I made, I would not have the chance to learn from it and to come out of it better on the other side.  

What does your typical day look like?
A typical day of a Quality Engineer consist of writing and reviewing processes / procedures. Another major part of the responsibility of a Quality Engineer is to plan an audit, conduct the audit and write the audit report so improvements can be made based on the findings of the audit. Conducting an audit can vary from 1 hour to several days depending on the scope of the audit. I am also a member of our STEM Strategy Group and Boeing Women Inspiring Leadership. As such, I also organise events related to these groups from time to time. I like to use my lunch time to go for a short run or go to the gym.

What are your career highlights so far?
My career highlight in Boeing certainly has to be when I got chosen to be part of the Enterprise Auditor Leadership Program. This program is a highly competitive program intended for a very small cohort of employees to gain exposure to all parts of businesses in Boeing. The program only choses 1 person per year outside of the USA region and for 2020, I am that person. This requires me to move to Seattle, USA for 18 months and I will be moving with my son and my husband. My future plan is to continue to explore the many businesses in Boeing and aspire to be a VP (Vice President) of Corporate Audit one day.

What do you like to do outside of work?
I love to cook – you can follow me on @thisisthant for some of the dishes I’ve made. Apart from that, I like to run and do gym classes where possible I also enjoy a long bicycle ride around the countryside.

Thank you so much to Thant for sharing her story with us, we really appreciate it!

2SistersInSTEM