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Front Page
Love of Molten Metal Leads to National Award
Staff, Thursday August 23, 2001.
Page 1 of 1
As an employee at a Queensland foundry, the 31-year-old was the only woman in the industry in the entire State. Unperturbed, she went on to become the first woman President of the Australian Foundry Institute – Queensland Branch.
She in now a Business Unit Leader in Ford Australia's Iron Casting Operations at Geelong in Victoria.
Jo's love affair with molten metal began when she was studying engineering at the University of Queensland.
"I initially wanted to get into genetic engineering but I took metallurgy as a subject in my first year and was hooked," she said.
A field trip to a foundry sealed it for Jo and she swapped courses to do a Bachelor of Science, majoring in metallurgy.
Jo loves the challenges that her job throws up and the variety if offers.
"The whole process is fairly complicated and a lot of things can go wrong. Every day is a new challenge," she said. "I also like the environment and the people. They are really down to earth," she said.
That's not to say that Jo's foray into what was essentially "men's business" went without a hitch.
"There was a fair bit of resistance at first to a woman in the business," she said. "I found the best way to deal with it was to have a bit of a sense of humour. It didn't take them long to get used to me," she said.
Her first position was with Investment Castings Queensland.
"They cast everything from digging equipment for agricultural applications to memorial plaques and parts for the Queensland railways," she said.
From there she joined Austcast, another Queensland firm specialising in digging equipment for the mining industry and braking components for the railways.
In 1996, she offered her expertise to the Australian Foundry Institute, preparing technical papers for the institute's annual conference. At the end of the conference, she was invited to join the Institute's Council.
Jo joined Ford about 12 months ago and has settled in well.
"The guys at Ford have been really good and the transition has been much easier than I expected," she said.
"I've tried to take into account the fact that they have to adjust to having a woman boss. For my part, I've done my adjusting to working in the industry. But most of the guys here have never reported to a woman before," she said.
The key to settling in has been communication.
"I think if you're open and honest with people it helps a lot," she said.
She is also enjoying the job itself.
"In the past I've been involved mainly in development work, but at Ford I am managing a facility and fixing problems as they arise," she said.
A career at Ford appealed to Jo because it offered variety and a chance to develop a career and work overseas.
"I'm really excited by the opportunities that Ford offers," she said.
To make sure that she is equipped to take advantage of those opportunities, Jo is completing the final year of an MBA degree.
Jo was recently recognized for her achievements when she was announced as the winner of the "Workforce More than Five Years" category of the National Awards for Women in Non-Traditional Areas of Work and Study.
Jo received her award at a gala dinner on August 2, 2001.
For further information contact:
Ford Australia Communications
Phone: (03) 9359 8491
