Making it better

Name: Sarah Cowan
Age: 28
Job title: Marketing and Communications Executive, Siemens Healthcare.

You’re a Marketing and Communications Executive, what does that involve?

I get involved with quite a lot: my main job deals with customer education and the internet (including enquiries).
A large part of the education side exists in helping customers on systems they already have, but also making them aware of new products.

How long have you been at Siemens?

I’ve been working for Siemens for three and a half years.

What’s your background?

I’ve always worked in marketing and I have a degree and masters in business.

What’s it like working in the healthcare and technology sector?

I really enjoy it and love seeing what’s out there and what can go to the hospitals. It’s great to see that we’ve got technology that can diagnose and treat. I recently had a friend who went for an MRI scan and I was really excited to see that it was a Siemens scanner.

What is the most exciting new technology that you’ve been involved with?

We’ve launched a new mammography unit recently and it was great to see the change from the old analogue to the new digital system. The experience for women can be horrible so this should make it easier for them to go along to.  You can see the image immediately now, where previously the image would take a week to two weeks to process. If there was a problem with the image it would take even longer. The feedback has been really positive.
 

People tend to think of men working in the technology sector, is there any reason why women can’t get involved?

There are no barriers to women becoming involved… it’s just to do with stereotypes. Siemens are actively encouraging more girls into science, technology and engineering.

What’s the best thing about working in healthcare technology?

One of the advantages is that there are so many areas you can move into… you’re not pocketed into one space.  Also, in healthcare, it’s really interesting to see what’s out there and we really have some fantastic pieces of kit.

Siemens is involved with The Big Bang Fair, can you tell us how you feel about that?

It’s really great having the opportunity to speak to young adults and students about the exciting careers you can have at a company like Siemens. We make everything from ultrasound scanners to wind turbines, so we’re really keen to inspire everyone to become involved.

When people start at the company, are they supported in career development?

Supporting career development is really important to us, as we want to encourage everyone to achieve what they want in their career path.

What d you do outside work?

I like going to the gym and I’m now learning how to play golf.