Leading on Change in Hose Engineering: how a young woman’s vision is shaping the future of the hose industry.

Go back 30 years, or perhaps even to 2010, when only 10.5% of engineers were women, and ask yourself how many female engineers you would have found in senior leadership positions or even entry level engineering roles?…

Whilst the engineering industry has slowly adjusted, the stats still paint a dyer picture: just 16.5% of all UK engineers are women, with the number of women studying engineering in 2023 remaining largely the same as course enrolment figures from 2012.

Diversity in engineering has been cited as one of the key variables in growing UK GDP and filling a significant workforce gap; think tanks continue to report on alarming delays in social erosion of male skewed engineering stereotypes further reinforcing perceived barriers to entry for women.

At Kiowa, since it’s conception in 1991, a common culture of diversity and inclusion has been interwoven across its workforce, but like so many industries, there’s still progress to be made; the significant pace of change at Kiowa surrounding leadership gender equality can be tangibly demonstrated in 2023: 40% of Kiowa’s branch managers are women, along with 40% of its senior leadership team.

Marianne Cassidy started off her Kiowa career in internal sales and found herself taking on more responsibility, rapidly rising the ranks to assistant branch manager. From there, at the beginning of 2023, Marianne became the youngest female member of the Kiowa management team, appointed as manager of the new Kiowa Glasgow branch, responsible for spearheading it’s Industrial & Hydraulic Hose operations across the Northwest.

When the new Glasgow branch first opened back in the second half of 2022, Marianne’s long-standing predecessor, Cliff McCabe, who remains with this business to this day, had the colossal task of ensuring a smooth transition to their new location, with Marianne acting as a key and valued member of Cliff’s team during this process. Having then handed the reins over at the end of 2022, Marianne has since been instrumental in paving the way forward for the branch.

In times of significant economic, political, and social change, it’s important to stay current; in keeping with the theme of progressive innovation, within the hose industry, Marianne shares all about her vision for the branch, the projected growth of the industry, and her personal achievements so far in shaping future change in the world of industrial hose and hydraulics…

Marianne’s vision for the future also encompasses increasing gender equality within the hose industry. A real advocate for better female representation, she is a shining example of the momentous contribution women are making in the industry and is proud to be part of the wider Alfagomma Group, who now have (Marianne Included) a female workforce of almost 750 women.

Marianne explains, “When I first started in the industry six years ago there wasn’t that many women that I would deal with, and the women that I dealt with were mostly in more administrative positions, but, over the last couple of years, we’re dealing more with female engineers, operations managers, and directors: it’s brilliant to witness.”

Marianne also explained that an increasing percentage of Kiowa’s client base is made up of women:

She explains, “As much as you don’t want to like it, it’s so important, and it’s so nice, to be supporting women in the engineering industry. One of our clients is a major decision maker in a national Scottish *firm (*name removed to protect anonymity), and there is definitely an enhanced rapport between us because we are women.

“I feel that, with Kiowa, you’ve got a lot of women in senior positions; my team at Glasgow is 20% women. We certainly don’t have a culture that doesn’t treat every gender equally; I think we’re pretty forward thinking with equality, which is lovely. It’s one of the reasons I love working here, because regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, and religion, within Kiowa, we are all respected and have a voice.

“I think in the hose industry, and engineering in general, we do need to see more women in senior positions and engineering positions as well.”

Kiowa was founded on a philosophy that surrounded diversity and inclusion, and Marianne is a perfect example of how progressive perspectives can bring about positive change for the hose industry.

Marianne acts as a quintessential example of young female leadership within the hose industry, and, along with her team, remains committed to quality excellence. As the Industrial Hose & Hydraulic industry evolves it’s paramount that the industry continues to foster excellence in technical & innovative solutions. Marianne’s on-going commitment to the discipline, and passion for engineering equality is a true example of how the industry continues to evolve as we navigate 2023 and beyond. Kiowa is committed to excellence in both hose safety and technical innovation, and continually aims to foster a customer experience that exceeds all expectations. Whether you’re an existing client, or looking for hose assembly & servicing support, as part of the wider Alfagomma Group, our branches, based right across the UK, are ready to help you with both on-going and one-off custom-built industrial hose and hydraulic hose assembly solutions.