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Women in Industry presents Raja Lana

Raja Lana, the Perimeter Director and Safety Coordinator at VINCI Energies Brazil shares her experience as a leading woman in industry.

Raja Lana’s 30 years of experience in this field started during her undergraduate years, she graduated with multiple bachelor’s degrees and 2 MBA’s.

Today, Raja makes the strategic decisions for 4 Business Units (Oil & Gas Onshore, Oil & Gas Offshore, Infrastructure and Smart Cities) and defines business goals for her team of 1,400 employees. As a Safety Coordinator, she promotes safety within VINCI Energies Brazil and her goal is to promote Zero Accidents and to continuously improve the safety culture among her team.

  • 1. What made you decide to pursue this field?

    I have always loved building things. No one in my family worked as an engineer at the time, but I was always fascinated by the profession. I think an engineer is someone who likes functional and practical projects, and, at the same time, also likes solving problems and developing new solutions to improve life in society. I really identified with those aspects and that’s why I chose my profession.

  • 2. What is the best part about being a woman in industry?

    In my opinion, the best part is bringing a different perspective to the job. As a woman in a sector dominated by men, I think I have different leadership and management styles and I can provide another point of view to many issues we face in our work lives.

  • 3. What are your biggest accomplishments?

    In my perspective, staying and thriving in this same industry for such a long time (30 years) has been my greatest accomplishment. I’ve faced some serious economic crises in Brazil during my career, but we (my team and I) were able to rise above them with a lot of hard work and commitment to our company. I’m very proud of my career and to be where I am today.

  • 4. Have you experienced any obstacles in this line of work? And how did you overcome them?

    Sure, I’ve had many obstacles in my line of work, mostly related to unfavorable economic conditions in the country or challenging projects that required our team to think outside the box. Thankfully, none of these obstacles were directly related to me being a woman. I consider myself very lucky in this aspect, as I think gender diversity is very important and women should always have equal opportunity to grow and advance in the workplace. In my professional experience, I had the chance to show to my leaders what I was capable of and improve myself to get to the leadership position that I am today. I’m very glad I did, and I hope someday all women have this same opportunity in their workplace. As a leader, I will always work hard for this to happen in our company.

  • 5. Any advice you want to give women considering a career in industry?

    My first advice is that you must enjoy the work. A career in industry can be very challenging, so I think it’s imperative to like what you do. My second advice is to always keep studying and improving your technical and academic skills, as the industry requires specialists that can provide knowledgeable opinions. Third, don’t be afraid to speak up at work. Use the opportunities you have to show yourself as a professional: give your point of view on work issues and always share your knowledge as you will be sure to contribute to the team.

For more information, please contact Raja Lana.

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