International Women's Day inspired story - Robyn Curtis, Sales Engineer for Ash Air

As we approach International Women's Day, let’s celebrate the Ash Air team, and recognise the importance of forging for a better working world, with equal opportunities and inclusivity.

Here at Ash Air, we are proud to be opportunity employer. Infact, we have 30% female representation across the entire company. For a male dominated industry, we're very proud of this. Ash Air has representation in our National Warehouse, Branches and Head Office locations with administrators, accounts, schedulers, sales and service engineers, and managers roles throughout the country.

This International Women's Day for 2023, we chat to Robyn Curtis, our amazing Sales Engineer for Palmerston North and surrounding regions.

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As you know, we have International Women's Day coming up on 8th March, so what does being a woman mean to you?

" On IWD 2023, when you say what does being a woman to me mean? It mean's being feminine, a mother,  caring & giving."

Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day?

"Because I personally think women are not appreciated enough for all that we do, so many work 2 jobs – one in the workplace and the other at home doing and attending to all the things that make family life and a household run smoothly. I am not into women’s rights or equality but not many men can multi task to the extent in so many areas of life that women do!  We are just built that way."

What made you want to work for Ash Air?

"The long standing established company, the product which is an essential operation to many business, the companies customer focus & the support offered to be the best possible at my role."

What advice would you give to your younger self?

"My advice is to be true to yourself, stand up for what you believe in!"

What excites you about your role?

"The interaction with customers and how important our product is to their operation."

What is the most important message you want to send out to young women thinking about a career in this sort of industry?

"Don’t be put off by the technical aspects, women have a lot to offer particularly in customer service & sales.  Also, relationship building, being detailed & good at following up."

 

If you could have dinner with three inspirational women, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

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1. Kate Middleton – she is the epitome of what the future king’s wife should be. 
2. Kate Hawkesby - Love her no nonsense straight shooter comments & reporting.
3. Alison Holst – Learnt so much from her down to earth, never fail, always delicious everyday cooking"

What are the priorities in your job as a Sales Engineer? - Tell us a typical day in the life?

"My priority is to build up the customer relations in my areas by way of site visits, letting them know I am their point of contact if there are any issues, changes, upgrades or replacements." 

What challenges have you faced as a women in your career? How did you overcome them?

" Working in the motor industry for many years was hard to gain respect initially but as my product knowledge grew so did the respect!"

How have you managed to balance your career and personal life?

"Key factors I believe are lots of forward planning, regular exercise, and early nights!"

What mentors or role models have positively impacted you in your career? What is one lesson they taught you?

"A female Sales and Marketing manager in a previous role, she was highly organized and a forward planner.   Also, I learnt a lot from her email writing style, it's all about the professionalism and the delivery of what you say to customers and what you ask them. "

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About International Women's Day

International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific.

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality. 

Marked annually on March 8th, International Women's Day (IWD) is one of the most important days of the year to:

• celebrate women's achievements
• raise awareness about women's equality
• lobby for accelerated gender parity
• fundraise for female-focused charities
  

#IWD2023

What's the International Women's Day 2023 theme?

The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2023 is #EmbraceEquity. Equity isn't just a nice-to-have, it's a must-have. A focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society's DNA. And it's critical to understand the difference between equity and equality. IWD 2023's campaign theme aims to get the world talking about why "equal opportunities are no longer enough." Read more about this here.

What's the history of International Women's Day?

International Women's Day has occurred for well over a century with the first gathering held in 1911. Learn more about the day's timeline on the IWD website
 

What colors symbolize International Women's Day?

Purple, green and white are the colors of International Women's Day. Purple signifies justice and dignity. Green symbolizes hope. White represents purity, albeit a controversial concept. The colors originated from the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the UK in 1908.
 

Who can support International Women's Day?

International Women's Day is not country, group, nor organization specific. No one government, NGO, charity, corporation, academic institution, women's network, or media hub is solely responsible for International Women's Day. The day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist, nor to any one organization, but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights."  So make International Women's Day your day and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women.

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 About us

Who we are and how Ash Air can help your business!

Ash Air has been around in New Zealand since 1979, and we’ve grown into a nationwide company with international support and a reputation for quality and reliability.We look after all things compressed air for your business!

• Reciprocating, Screw, air compressors
• Vacuum pumps
• Nitrogen
• An extensive line of air treatment components

Ash Air's range of Chicago Pneumatic, Alup, Pneumatech, and Quincy compressors are used extensively around the world in industries ranging from oil and gas to food, automotive and farming, and we bring you these world class compressors here in the land of the long white cloud.Our technicians are compressed air equipment experts and are dedicated to addressing customer needs. Supported by a 13 locations nationwide, Ash Air offers one of the widest selections of compressed air equipment and parts available today in New Zealand.

Reliability and Efficiency

With Ash Air compressors, you can count on reliability and high performance for even the most demanding applications. We focus our efforts on the following:

• Increasing uptime
• Reducing unexpected repairs
• Reducing energy consumption
• Improving the cleanliness of compressed air

Talk to the team today:  CONTACT US CONTACT US