Building Better Engineering Teams with Marisa Kurimbokus

Engineering teams often face intense time pressure, and the environment they work in has a direct impact on how clearly they think and how effectively they collaborate.

This episode looks at how leadership, communication and team culture shape day‑to‑day engineering work inside fast‑moving technical environments. We’re joined by Marisa Kurimbokus, Head of Engineering at Raeon and IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2024.

Marisa’s career spans automotive, hydrogen technology and advanced battery manufacturing. Through those transitions, she has built a clear understanding of what supports effective engineering, from how ideas are discussed in design reviews to how pressure influences decision making and how teams stay focused when deadlines are challenging.

We also explore hybrid working, scaling manufacturing at Raeon, and the wider responsibility engineers carry when developing technology for a more sustainable future. Throughout the conversation, Marisa shares practical reflections shaped by real engineering environments and the people she has worked alongside.

Connect with Marisa on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-kurimbokus-fwes-ceng-imeche/

Learn more about Raeon:
https://www.raeon.com/

Transcript

Setting The Vision For Teams

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I think for me what it looks like is everybody working towards a common goal. There doesn't need to be any politics, there doesn't need to be any emotion or egos attached to it, just people working together towards that common goal, trying to solve problems.

Martin Griffiths 0:24

Hey I'm Martin. Welcome to another episode of the Manufacturers Make Strides podcast. So today I had a really good conversation with Marissa Karumbokus, and she's a lead engineer at Rayon Batteries in the UK, and she's also got experience working at JLR and Triumph Motorcycles throughout her career. And during our conversation, Marissa has got some really interesting viewpoints about how great engineering teams can work together to create outstanding results and how politics, ego, and emotion can often be the enemy of good decisions and creative solutions from engineering teams. And then at the end of the episode, Marissa talks about and gives some really practical examples about if you're in a very traditional work environment, how you can just start to bring more inclusivity into your teams, really no matter what the makeup of what your team is. So it's a really broad-reaching conversation. Let's jump into the conversation now. So how are you doing today? You good?

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Really good, thanks. Yeah. Good to see you, Martin.

Martin Griffiths 1:30

Yeah, brilliant. Can you just tell me where you're joining us from today?

SPEAKER_00 1:34

Yes, I'm joining you from Warwick in the Midlands in the UK, from our lovely headquarters for Rayon, where we design and sell up custom battery solutions.

Martin Griffiths 1:46

Exciting. So yeah, I'm looking forward to to getting into your your story, your history, and what you're doing now. But first off, I would just like to get an insight into your into your thoughts. And when you think about an engineering team that's running really well, what what springs to mind for you? What does that look like?

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Good question. I think for me, what it looks like is everybody working towards a common goal. There doesn't need to be any politics, there doesn't need to be any emotion or egos attached to it, just people working together towards that common goal, trying to solve problems, not making things personal, and hopefully really enjoying what they're doing while they're doing it.

Marisa’s Path Into Engineering

Martin Griffiths 2:30

Yeah, that sounds good. That sounds really good. Okay, brilliant. There's a couple of things I'd like to dig into in a bit, more into that, but that's that's that's a great vision. Yeah, I think that's like a nice signpost of where this conversation's going. So yeah, first off, let's get more into your background. What inspired you to or what led you to work in engineering and take that on as your career path?

SPEAKER_00 2:54

So when I was at school, I really loved maths and I really loved science and I loved tinkering and making things and being creative, sort of your typical arts and craftsy sort of student. And when I was choosing my A levels, my physics teacher sent my friend a university on to a lecture about engineering and engineering careers. And at the time I thought, well, I really like maths, so maybe I'll be a math teacher. My friend went to this lecture, but she didn't want to go by herself, so she dragged me along. And after that I decided, nope, I want to be an engineer. And ironically, it was my friend who ended up becoming a math teacher.

Martin Griffiths 3:36

Okay, okay. Oh, that's that's good. So I I'm just I was just thinking, because I'm uh maybe a decade or so further along the path than you were, I was I was good at maths and physics at school. I kind of just slipped into engineering by default because my kind of teacher says, well, you've got maths, you've got physics. That's a good route for engineering. I didn't really I didn't really think too much about the career down the line. But when I was in university, it was very theoretical. We just did lots of maths. It wasn't really until I was in my first few years of a career that I kind of realised, oh, this is a happy accent. I actually do enjoy the type stuff that you know that we're involved in here. So, long story short, I'm just wondering what it was you saw during that that visit, or what it was that like made you think, yeah, this looks great.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

So for me, engineering was always about getting your hands greasy, car mechanics, the British gas engineer who comes to fix your boiler. It was never a professional career, it was never something aspirational, it was never something that I thought, yes, is could be successful in, because when you look at all the role models, especially of that time, there were so few women, it wasn't glamorous, it wasn't attractive, and it was very tradespeople. And whilst I absolutely admire the work that they do, a technician's job, a mechanic's job, that's not the same as an engineer. That's just one tiny little sliver of what the engineering industry looks like. And going to an all-girls school, again, really narrowed my vision as to what a career in the industry could look like. So for me, going to that lecture and being told, no, it's not about just fixing a car or just fixing a boiler, it's actually about creating something new. It's about using your maths and your science and all those things that you love, as well as combining it with that creative side. And even a lot of the work that I do as our technicians, for example, creativity, it needs innovation in order to solve problems, whether it's on the workshop floor on the screen in CAGS when you're doing your design reviews. And for me, that lecture really linked the two in my brain that actually you can be hands-on, physical, workshop-y as well as creative and innovative and so on.

Martin Griffiths 6:03

Yeah, okay, yeah, got you. So yeah, it can be that kind of perfect combination for people who yeah, kind of enjoy the creativity, but also like to get the hands-on kind of experience as well.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Very much so, yeah.

Martin Griffiths 6:15

Yeah, yeah, like it but during my career and there, one of the my most favourite things has been kind of finishing your day's work and being able to see either like on the factory floor or out in the dispatch area, you something physical ready to ship to a customer that you've been and the team's been involved in in some in some part. It's a nice, yeah, it's a nice way to see the results of your of your work, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 6:40

Very much so, yes. I'm very lucky to be able to drive one of the cars I helped design. And now I've got a trousers of my own, I can say honestly, it's a very safe backseat because I did all of the FEA on that back seat, and I know how safe it is to him to be sitting in the back of that car.

Martin Griffiths 6:58

Great. So tell me about that and then so tell me about your early career. What what happened that what what did you start to do after you left university?

Early Lessons On Team Dynamics

SPEAKER_00 7:06

So I studied aeronautical and aerothermal engineering at university, and I thought that would be a career that I'd be interested in. And looking around at the careers, particularly here in the Midlands, there's a lot of the automotive manufacturers. And so I started on a graduate scheme at Jaguar Land Rover, where I got a little bit of experience in the aerodynamics team as well as the body engineering team, working as a systems engineer, which was a lot about understanding whole systems of the car, not just one particular component or aspect. And it was a role that I really, really enjoyed. I also realised quite quickly that actually I didn't want to be a straight aerodynamicist for my whole career, and that's where I sort of pivoted into more of the project engineer design engineer route. After that, I really wanted to get more hands-on design experience, so I moved to Triumph Motorcycles, where it combined some of the experience I had in the automotive industry with that really hands-on CADs, drawings, and design work. So that's where I then moved to.

Martin Griffiths 8:12

Alright, so yeah, you got involved in a kind of a broad range of things quite quite early on with two really well-known brands. That must have been that must have been really interesting. Like when you look back, can you think of any early moments that taught you about how teams work well together?

SPEAKER_00 8:29

Yes, I think my first manager tried to introduce that concept to me, the concept of a good team needing diversity. So not just diversity of people, but really diversity of thought and different skills, different viewpoints and different perspectives coming together to solve problems or to tackle the challenge, and having all those different skills and all the different viewpoints really would help attack that problem from so many different angles. When I moved to Tramp Motorcycles, I found the same sort of thing, but in many ways, some some negative experiences of where we'd have design reviews, we'd have brainstorms, and some people's ideas were not taken into account because and I heard this a lot, it's just not how we do things. And again, it really it was the opposite that I learnt, where actually that's that sort of environment stifles creativity because it's starts making people it discourages people to put up their hands, it discourages people to put forward their ideas. Even if the idea they're sitting on is really, really good, you think, well, it's just gonna get knocked down, I just I just won't bother, which is a huge shame. And that was the that was the team I experienced at the time, of course, things have changed since, but again, it taught me moving into a leadership role how important it was, and it could just be a really offhand comment, like, no, no, no, that's that's just not it. That could be enough to really demotivate somebody and and put them back in their shell.

Martin Griffiths 10:07

So now I I wanted to pick up on that from your earlier comment that you mentioned with politics, ego, and emotion can be put aside. So that that sounds potentially quite difficult to do. What were your thoughts on that? And in situations that maybe your experiences at Triumph were where that didn't happen. Maybe you've got some opinions on how change can happen, or maybe just how it can be done better, putting those things to one side?

Turning Ego Into Better Decisions

SPEAKER_00 10:36

Sure, yes. My experience there really taught me that people really get invested in this, especially when you've got a high-performing team, brilliant engineers, they get very passionate about their ideas and they want to put forward their ideas, and it's often very difficult to say, well, this is my idea, and it's the best idea I've ever had, and I really want to go with it. And when you're told actually these are all the downsides, these are disadvantages, this is why we won't go with that, it can be quite disheartening, and it can be, it makes you think, well, actually, I'm I'm really gonna fight for my idea, and it starts to become personal. And trying to separate that you've got a really good idea, but it's not the right thing for this particular problem, from actually we we dislike you as a person. Sometimes that's very difficult to do. I saw it done really well at my previous company where we were designing uh very high-speed air compressors for hydrogen fuel cells. It was very different from automotive in that it was very small, highly technical. And I'd start every design review as a team leader there to saying, please don't forget this isn't personal, we're just trying to solve a problem. No idea is a bad idea, and I know everyone says that, but honestly, please put forward your ideas. And as the team leader, I'd start with, this is going to sound ridiculous, but has anyone thought about doing this? Or I'd use silly analogies like you know, when you're baking a cake and you've got the lining on the thing, and you, you know, you don't want the cake to stick to the tin, and by putting myself out there and being a bit more vulnerable, it encouraged other people to to also put their ideas forwards as well.

Martin Griffiths 12:18

It's interesting. So do you think in the in those situations where you're working in in a company as a team, you're in that meeting where you're doing a design review for one specific project? Do you think it's almost more important, you know, to focus on the team on the the because the longer term goal, I suppose, is that the team gel and become successful over multiple projects, and it's more important to focus on that rather than the specific reason we're here today, which is to get a decision on this project.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

I think it is, and obviously that's a really hard thing to do when you're up against deadlines and budgets and so on. But the way I describe it is if you think of the time when you have your best ideas, it's when you're in the shower, you're about to fall asleep, you're on a long drive, you're nice, you're relaxed, and suddenly all your creative juices are flowing. And if we can simulate that experience, but in those meeting spaces, in in a work environment, we're going to get the best as people. If we if we start sign reviews with we have to solve it, we have to solve it right now, you know, be a genius, think of something. You guys are smart, just get on with it. That's when people actually start feeling the pressure, and that's when the creative juices stop flowing. So sometimes we do need a let's just take a step back, let's focus on ourselves, let's focus on our team, and the solution will come out naturally almost. And again, it's easier said than done, but the the principle's still the same.

Martin Griffiths 13:50

Yeah, that's interesting. So I had a follow-up on I was thinking about this then in those busy periods, yeah. And so I'd like to drill down more into basically how you balance that the creativity and the giving time for the creativity and the ideas to come through versus deadlines. So how does this work? And you and you're so just to explain more, you've now changed, you're now rayon, more of a startup experience, very different experience, I imagine, to the bigger teams uh at uh JLR and Triumph. Yeah, how's your thoughts on managing those deadlines kind of like changed over time? And how are you thinking about that at the moment?

Balancing Creativity And Deadlines

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Sure. So working as a startup, we have to be very agile, very reactive. It's a much smaller team, and what we can offer our customers is that flexibility and that agility, which means it really keeps us on our toes as a as a design and an engineering team. And for me, I find that really super fun because we're a much smaller team, it's precise the amount of responsibility each person and team has. So if one person's off sick, it could really impact a project, which is why it's even more important for us to focus on each other and ourselves, because each person is so so super critical to the process. So, in a way, although it may feel like the stakes are higher, that groundswork and that solid foundation of teamwork, individuals being properly supported, that matters even more, arguably, than perhaps in a bigger company, although obviously it still matters there as well.

Martin Griffiths 15:33

Okay, yeah, got you. So, like from your point of view, uh what have you discovered about where you work best then and in what environments you work best?

SPEAKER_00 15:44

So I think it is some of those a bit more relaxed spaces. So, for example, as you said up against deadlines, it's the difference between saying, okay, we're going to have a two-hour meeting where we're going to hash out this problem and find the solution, versus we're going to have one-hour meeting. By the way, go and have your lunch early, go for a walk outside, get some fresh air, and come back refreshed, and we'll have that hour-long meeting and we'll we'll find the solution. So making that sort of space in the workday of found really helps me. I also really enjoy knowing that my contribution is going to make that difference to the end product, like we said right at the beginning, knowing that I can see my products out there on the road driving in a car, or knowing that my ideas, even if they got diluted because everyone else had such good ideas, knowing that I contributed to that project and the success of that project is is a huge motivator for me.

Martin Griffiths 16:42

Yeah, it's yeah, it's fun. It's fun, isn't it, seeing you the kind of the fruits of your labour out there like that. Yeah, it is. Yeah, and for I I have a similar kind of opinion or I've kind of learned a similar habit with big decisions and meetings. Yeah, if I can ever possibly combine a decision or a discussion with a walk, I will a hundred percent always do that. Yeah, it feels yeah, to me, um the the act of like sitting around a meeting kind of table can be a little bit feel a little bit closed sometimes, but the ability to kind of get outside, walk, it just kind of I feel like it can kind of opens up the space and ideas come more easily. Yeah, it's it's it's it's a nice technique if you can ever do it, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 17:26

Definitely, yes. Yeah, and it it does depend on the individual. I know others who they really thrive in that meeting environment because they want other people to bounce off. And then you have the more introverted types who they just want the headspace and that's taking some time out for a walk or going to get a coffee or something is is the space that they need as well.

Martin Griffiths 17:46

So how would you balance that then with the different, you know, yeah, I yeah, different people have different, you know, needs, preferences, different tolerances for pressure with deadlines. How do you think the best way to handle that is within a team?

SPEAKER_00 18:01

What I've found is managing people, people always say it's really hard. It's not, it's really easy, it's actually finding time to understand individuals and how they click and what's what their preferences are and what their motivations are. For me, I really enjoy the having a little bit more pressure, perhaps, feeling we've got a deadline coming up, that's all pushed to the end. Other people, when they see that, that really scares them and they start claming up. So understanding who's in your team, what sort of things are gonna help them, and then you can start putting those processes in place to to support them. So maybe it is I've got a lot of people who really want that, let's all go for a coffee, let's go for a walk thing, but of and I've got a couple of people who that really isn't gonna work for them. They'll just get really restless and they actually just want to be chattering away. So it's it's understanding who you've got there and then finding that balance and putting those processes in to support them best.

Martin Griffiths 19:00

Yeah, great, but yeah, I guess the payback is that you get the mu you know, the most out of every person on the team rather than, you know, who it just it being preferential or dominating for the people that the meeting or the walk or whatever suits. Who it just it being preferential or dominating for the people that the meeting or the walk or whatever suits.

Managing People As Individuals

SPEAKER_00 19:23

Yes, definitely. Just because people are shouting the loudest doesn't mean they've got the best ideas. Just because people are quiet and thinking doesn't mean they've got the best ideas, and it's um trying to get the best out of everybody in their own way as well. Um and sometimes I've found it's even having a a nice long meeting one day and then coming back the next day when everyone slept on it and they go, Oh, you know, I had to think about this and actually I've here's my new idea and following it up afterwards.

Martin Griffiths 19:51

Yeah. Okay. Alright, brilliant, great ideas. I'd like to do a quick shift of gears now, a section called Myths and Truths. I'll throw there some ideas, you tell me whether you think it's a myth or a truth. You can exp you can tell me why if you want to. Small routines often make the biggest difference.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

I'd say that's definitely true. The analogy I'd use is it's like brushing your teeth. It's best you do it consistently every single day, even if it's for a short time, versus one really, really big toothbrushing session once a week or once a month. When you think about it, it sounds ridiculous, but ultimately it's that sort of thing. Having a l just pecking away a little bit every day, it puts you in the right frame of mind. It tackles some of those bigger issues in in a much and it means that problems aren't going to be festering along the way. For example, we have a daily team meeting where people can raise issues or concerns every single morning, and it's only about ten minutes long, versus having a big team meeting once a week where you've had a whole week in between meetings where things could have happened and nobody knows about it.

Martin Griffiths 21:04

Yeah, so yeah, it's so it gives you the the ability to do those kind of micro adjustments to stay on track if if if needs be. Yeah, rather than big shifts.

SPEAKER_00 21:13

Sure, yeah, exactly.

Martin Griffiths 21:15

Pace always improves when pressure increases.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

Or I'd say that's a myth. Because going back to what we said, it depends on the type of person. Um for some people that really works and for other people it doesn't. So it just depends on who you've got and and what works for them.

Martin Griffiths 21:32

So how would you handle that with say there's someone on your team who doesn't handle the pressure of deadlines so well or that extra pressure, but you do have a deadline looming? What would your strategy be?

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Sure, I'd say it's a loss of the time it's breaking it down into smaller tasks so that we don't say, for example, this project is due by the end of the week, get everything done by the end of the week. It's that those little micro adjustments, as you say. Let's let's start by finishing this by this morning, let's finish this by this afternoon. And that feels a lot more manageable than saying you've got this massive thing that you have to work towards.

Martin Griffiths 22:10

Yeah, yeah. Okay, perfect. Thank you. More checks always guarantee better quality.

Myths And Truths Round

SPEAKER_00 22:18

I'd say that's true generally. Having more eyes on the problem or checking things generally does help. Obviously, working in manufacturing, that's why we have design reviews, we have engineering drawing reviews, we then have a quality team who will inspect loads and loads of things. So I'd say on the whole, yes, that is true.

Martin Griffiths 22:39

Okay, perfect, thank you. Teams need detailed instructions for every task.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

I'd say that's a myth. For some people, yes, they do need that level of clarity, that level of detail. Other people, they want to feel autonomous, they want to feel that they've got some responsibility in what they're doing, and to give them step-by-step instructions, they might see it as patronizing or they might see it as stifling their creativity. So again, it depends on the source of personality that you've got, but generally, no, I don't think it is strictly necessary, especially if you have very high-performing, very intelligent people.

Martin Griffiths 23:25

Yeah, so yeah, it depends on the person and the task and Okay, last one. Moving between different environments can shape or change how people work.

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Yes, definitely. Definitely agree with that when I'd say that's true. I'm sure we've all seen it moving between working at home, for example, and working in the office space or working in a remote environment. Your focus changes, your the way you you deal with work, the way you deal with distractions, all of that changes. You end up catering to your environment to an extent as well as to the task at hand as well. So for example, when I'm working from home, I try to pick activities that don't involve lots of talking to other people or lots of interacting with the team, I try to pick tasks that I can do by myself, and that's solely based on because I'm going to be at home and not in the office that day. So yes, I'd say that's true.

Martin Griffiths 24:22

Okay. So what let's dig into that a little bit more actually, because I yeah, I haven't talked about this with with many people about the what the hybrid working for if you're in an engineering manufacturing company. Some have got on board with it, some have said, well, that's not going to work, it's a manufacturing company. What are your thoughts on that? And obviously it depends what role you are within the company. But yeah, what are your thoughts on how that can work?

Hybrid Work That Actually Works

SPEAKER_00 24:49

So I've seen it done really, really well, and I've seen it done really, really badly as well. Um at the moment, at Rayon, we encourage hybrid working because we want people to feel that they have the opportunity to balance their work life, but also feel empowered to make decisions they need to make to get the job done where's best for them. So we as a small team it's easy for us to have eyes on what everybody's doing. We are very lucky that we can manage people based on their results rather than the time that they've put in uh by sat at their computer at in the office. When you've got much larger teams, obviously that becomes much more difficult to know, well, that person was at home, there was a specific task they were meant to do, needing to check up on them all the time and things like that. So I can see it working both ways, and again, it is just about leaders taking time to invest in their people, make sure their individuals are supported, make sure they've got the right type of work that they can do remotely or from the office or wherever else it is, and making sure that they're not only efficient and productive, but also hopefully enjoying themselves and feeling like they're they're still making a contribution to the team, even if they don't see each other face to face.

Martin Griffiths 26:14

Yeah, yeah. I yeah, I think it's yeah, it's an interesting you know aspect. Like one of the you know things I've done over the last few years is try to batch up tasks in my week. So like the majority of my work is from home. But you know, what I noticed, like context switching and doing a mix of all different things every day was like quite draining. But yeah, I mean in the in the situation we're just talking about there, if you go into hybrid work in a it it kind of needs you to to some extent pre-plan your week up front, doesn't it? Of what things you're going to do, what type of things you can do when you're on site, what type of things you can do when you're at home. And I think that could potentially could be a big benefit as well. So you less context switching, you can it gives you the space to focus, doesn't it, but possibly.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

Yeah, definitely. And that that's not something you can necessarily do alone. Sometimes it is you need the support of your manager, your team, or the others to say, this is what my plan is and let's make sure it works for everybody, sort of thing. I did manage uh an engineer who had to work from home because he lived quite a long way away, and um he had childcare commitments and so on. And when it came to actually we're going to be in the workshop, we're going to be building prototypes, then you need you downstairs debugging software, building parts, we came to the agreement. I'm sorry, this is where we are going to need you on site full-time. What can we do to support you? So in that instance, we said, well, because your childcare commitments will make sure all of your face-to-face time and your hands-on workshop time is between these hours, um, so that you can leave early to pick up your kids, so that you can leave, arrive late because you'll miss the traffic, things like this. And again, it it just requires a bit of flexibility on both sides as well.

Martin Griffiths 28:00

Okay, brilliant. Thank you. That was that was really that was really fun. Let's just have a talk about what you're up to at the moment then. So, yeah, in work at Rayon, what's your focus? Uh well, we're at the start of 2026. Yeah, what's your what's your focus right now and what exciting things are you working on?

Raeon’s Modular Battery Strategy

SPEAKER_00 28:17

So many exciting things at the moment. So we've got a number of custom battery products. What we do is we have a standardized battery module, which can be fully customized to whatever the customer needs. So a traditional battery module, you could make it slightly longer or slightly shorter, but that would change the voltage or the current with our technology. It doesn't change the the one variable doesn't change the other variables, which means you could have any shape, any size, any voltage, any chemistry, but it's all made to our standard manufacturing methods. So we're not having to reinvent the wheel every time we offer a customer something new. We have a proven technique that can pass the requirements and all the testing and legislation that it needs to meet, while still offering the customer that flexibility in their design, which is very good for niche and low-to-mid volume applications like drones or motorbikes or resto mod cars, things like that. So this year our aim is to get the relevant certifications for our battery modules, which is for our batteries to pass the N38 testing so that they could be shipped worldwide more easily, and also to start ramping up our manufacturing and production side of things. So at the moment, a lot of our batteries are made with very simple tooling made by hand. We're starting to invest a lot in some automation and machinery so that we can start producing more at a much faster rate. So that's what my year's looking like at the moment.

Martin Griffiths 30:00

Okay, brilliant. So there's going to be some great challenges along the way there.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

Very much so, yes. A lot of new learnings. So it's going to be a very exciting time for us here.

Martin Griffiths 30:09

So that was okay, so I had a couple of couple of things that came to mind when talking about that. So when you joined Rayon, there's a big learning curve, I imagine, the technology of it. So on the one side, and then uh around the team on the other side. How do you think it's best to approach tackling that learning curve?

SPEAKER_00 30:31

Sure. My approach when entering this role at Rayon was to encourage the rest of the team to teach me. I came to the team and I said, look, completely open book. This is my first role uh working with battery modules and battery packs. So tell me tell me what you know. And by doing that, A it opens up a line of communication with the individuals, but it also taught me the technology and it taught me how the Kate and teach other people as well, and the extent of their knowledge of the technology, but also engineering generally as well. And through that it also gave them a sense of understanding of how quickly I can learn and my technical ability as well. So that was that was my approach when I first joined the company.

Martin Griffiths 31:19

What would you say of the of the work that you do in engineering, what's the most meaningful part of it for you?

SPEAKER_00 31:26

That's a really good question. I think the most meaningful part for me is knowing the difference that I'm going to make. So, for example, developing these battery packs allows other applications to pursue their electrification goals and really supports that drive towards net zero. So, for example, we're talking to companies who make forklift trucks and they're going from petrol and diesel to electric, and that's going to be really good for reducing CO2, good for the environment, and so on and so forth. So, for me, that's really what gets me out of bed in the morning, knowing that I can make a difference towards the future for everybody.

Martin Griffiths 32:10

Yeah, that's yeah, that's really interesting. Yeah, it's funny you should mention the forklift trucks. One of my uh couple of customers that I used to uh to visit in Northern Ireland, one of the main things I remember from them is the smell of the forklift trucks uh that would be zooming back and forth. And yeah, that wasn't that didn't feel like the healthiest kind of work environment to to be all the all the time in this enclosed space with with all these fumes. Um so yeah, steps forward like this, these electrification goals, yeah, are are really gonna be beneficial to lots of people, aren't they? Uh looking ahead, what direction would you like to take or would you like the industry to be going in over the next few years?

Learning Fast In A Startup

SPEAKER_00 32:55

I would like us to continue with what we're doing to make technology more sustainable and more accessible to everybody. So, for example, with the rise of AI, making sure that we don't leave people behind, making sure that it's still inclusive so that everybody has access to this, and we're creating all this wonderful technology, making sure it's actually usable and it's in the hands of the right people, doing the right things all the time. It's no good. AI is now quite a big thing in everybody's lives. It's lovely that everybody can just go onto the internet and type in Chat GPT, for example, or Gemini or whatever it is, and they can use it. And I think making sure that it stays that way, so that people who are less familiar with the technology, they still have a chance to try to learn it. And so, for example, my parents who didn't grow up with users and so on, they can still have a chance to learn. Well, what is this AI about? How's it going to help me, whether it's in my personal life or in my my professional life? And equally, people who have disabilities, for example, are we in the technology that we're bringing out? Are we thinking about them? Are we making sure that they aren't being left behind with all of these wonderful great steps that we're making ahead? We're we're not leaving them behind in that.

Martin Griffiths 34:17

That makes sense, yeah, because there's a level of, yeah, it's becoming the level of like tech the minimum technical literacy that you need is kind of increasing all the time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:28

Somebody was telling me about a news report saying that AI could bring in this new sort of class system of the really well-educated ones who have access to AI, who can do wonderful things with it, versus the people who don't. And that's something I really don't want us to be driving as engineers. I don't want to to sort of start creating this layered system in society because our technology is now blocking people or inhibiting their progress.

Martin Griffiths 34:56

That's that's an interesting thought. You mentioned sustainability as well. Do you think engineers have a responsibility around sustainability?

Meaning, Net Zero, And Impact

SPEAKER_00 35:05

Very much so. And I think we're actually the ones who are in that privileged position to to drive sustainability as well as a lot of things. It's it's all fair and goods, everyone lobbying the government saying we need laws in place to reduce our CO2 or to reduce the amount of plastic in the oceans, but at the end of the day, it's the engineers who are actually the ones, the hands on the ground, for executing these things. Making the decisions, yeah. Yeah, and making it happen. The only reason all our food is in plastic wrappers is because at some point in history somebody invented plastic and found that was better than paper bags. And I understand all the reasons behind that, but now we're seeing it's a problem. So what what are we going to do as engineers to to correct that mistake if you want to call it that, or to just move on? And what's the next step and what could we do better? So it's not just it's not just our responsibility, it's actually our privilege that we can do that.

Martin Griffiths 35:59

That's an interesting way to reframe it. Yeah, I think that's that's a good way to look at it as a privilege and an opportunity rather than a yeah, uh requirement. Yeah. That's good. When you picture a positive future for engineering teams, what stands out to you?

SPEAKER_00 36:16

Inclusive, diverse workspaces. So team that works well together, that gels together, that comes up with creative, innovative ideas with thoughts coming from all different directions and perspectives. That would be my goal for the future of engineering teams, making them inclusive spaces where people feel that they can contribute without being mocked or put to one side or anything like that, and knowing that I belong here and I'm valued when I when I do put those ideas forward.

Martin Griffiths 36:48

I really appreciate your time. This has been a really fun conversation. I would maybe then just like to finish off with what's one thing someone could do this week? So if they wanted to, you know, bring the more inclusivity into their team kind of conversations, meetings, what's one thing that they were what what would be where would you start? You know, say that in an environment that's maybe not so, where there's maybe the more of the attitude of the traditional thing, this is the way we do things here. Yeah, what do you think might be the first step for someone?

Inclusive Futures And First Steps

SPEAKER_00 37:24

Number one step is have a look. See where you are right now, see when you're in that meeting, who are the ones who are always talking, who are the ones who are always quiet, and start noticing where those gaps are. Because it's one thing to say, well, our workplace isn't very diverse, there's lots of men, there's lots of white men, whatever it is. But actually, if the ideas are only coming from one person or the ideas coming from lots of people, and there are lots of good ideas, all from different perspectives, that's the first thing to tackle. It's not necessarily about what faces are in the room, but actually what what viewpoints are you getting. And once you've identified that, I think the rest of it is almost easy to see and say, well, let's take a step back and let's say, Martin, I've noticed you haven't said very much this meeting, let's give you some airtime. Is it because we're talking over you or is it because you're genuinely out of ideas? And once we once we have that identification piece, I think the rest of it almost falls in place, but it's noticing where are the gaps in what we're trying to do.

Martin Griffiths 38:29

This has been really, really fun getting to dig more into some of your expertise and your visions around around this. It sounds like it's gonna be a really exciting year. So if you're enjoying this episode, please give us a follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. That would help us to keep bringing authentic manufacturing conversations with the people who are shaping our industry. Thank you. What's the best place for people to go to find out more about you or Rayon?

SPEAKER_00 38:57

Yes, so you're welcome to check us out. Our website is rayon.com. And if you want to look me up, uh just look me up on LinkedIn, Marissa Kieranvocus.

Martin Griffiths 39:09

Thank you, Marissa. It's been great chatting to you today. Hope you have a great day.