02 April, 2018
At Tata Motors Design, our effort has been to recruit the best talent available in the 3 geographies that we operate in. This has led to a truly diverse design team, which now comprises of 180 highly skilled and talented individuals representing 9 countries!
Where Women work in Automotive Design
There are, however, some roles within design that have historically seen a pre-dominance of women. This is mainly around the Colour, Materials and Finish teams. This is the case globally in most major OEM design studios. This is also true at Tata Motors Design. The driving force of this article is to actually expose the fact that an automotive design studio has many possibilities to get involved beyond the traditional areas of design. I am really happy to see women now coming through in areas of Interior and exterior design, design quality, design operations and planning, CAS modelling and design focussed HR.
Need for more women in Design
Diversity is important as it gives us different points of view in a particular subject or discussion. Our effort in Tata Motors Design has always been to encourage the expression of diverse views and ideas. Women have their own unique perspective in approaching certain situations, and we benefit immensely from having this rich source of information and experience in our teams. The role of design colleges and institutions is key in furthering this, and we at Tata Motors Design actively support this with recruitment, internships and sponsored projects.
While we will expand the Tata Motors Design team in the coming months and years, I sincerely hope we continue to see more women applying to work with us in the many areas of design and operations that make us a truly great place to work!
Meet the Tata Motors Women of Design
The Tata Motors Design team features several female designers who help us conceive vehicles that create a lasting impact.
Take a look at what some of them have to say:
I work at Tata Motors design as a Digital Sculptor to create digital models from the designer's sketches, as per the engineering requirements. I believe this is a male dominated industry but women's perspective need to be accommodated and the combination of female and male intelligence will help in enhancing the design outcome which Tata Motors is attempting to do.
I joined Trilix (Tata Motors Design, Italy) in 2015, in charge of Surface Modelling and Interior Design Development. Despite what one might think, women are equal contributors to the design aspect of automobiles. Trilix allows women like me to easily balance our private lives with professional growth.
As a Chief Designer at Tata Motors Design, my responsibilities include creating colours, materials and finishes, design concepts and provide feasible solutions for both concept and production vehicles. It is a really exciting time to be at Tata Motors Design with the company's ambitious growth plans and recent successes with the Tiago, Tigor, Nexon, and Hexa! We are part of a truly dynamic global design team, working with 3 different global locations with immense support and guidance.
I worked mainly with the engineering team at TATA Motors UK for 6 years. The opportunity to become the HR Manager for the Design studio came up, I didn't think twice about taking the position. A new challenge in an area that I had never experienced or had an insight to. I provide the studio with HR support and guidance in all areas of HR, from recruitment to appraisal or career progression and training, the design studio is an energetic, vibrant, lively environment with a lot of creative flair. It's a wonderful environment to work in.
The role is diverse with no two days the same. My role covers, Facilities Management, Health & Safety, Event Management, Maintenance and Refurbishment and ISO Accreditation. Whilst looking after the current design facility, I am currently working with a small team to build our new flagship Design Studios which will reside in the National Automotive Innovation Centre. Working alongside young females who are still in school is an excellent way to enlighten them about the industry and potential opportunities for their future careers. Both Apprenticeships and Internships, offer a fantastic route to enter an exciting industry.
- Pratap Bose, Head Design, Tata Motors
