This Would Be Funny If It Wasn't Happening to Me: Navigating Manufacturing as a Woman, with Keynote Jody Urquhart

EMS@C-LEVEL · 12 Apr 2025 · 8m

What this episode covers

Jody Urquhart, a stand-up comedian and motivational speaker, discusses her keynote address at IPC's APEX 2025, arguing that empathy and emotional intelligence are competitive advantages for women in the male-dominated electronics manufacturing industry. She illustrates this with an anecdote about a junior female engineer who rose to lead a major automotive facility by building authentic connections with her boss, contrasting her approach with male colleagues who prioritized social drinking. The conversation highlights the business case for diversity, citing a design leader's view that diverse teams better reflect consumer demographics, and emphasizes that self-compassion directly influences leadership effectiveness.

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