May 7, 2022
Alexandra Kinias

She effectively contributed to the implementation of the ambitious plan of the Ministry of electricity from 2016 to 2019, which included the supply of power and energy products and solutions from medium voltage switchgears, compact substations, and ring main units. She also participated in tenders and practices that were put forward by electricity distribution companies. 

She was awarded by ABB Company as “Employee of the Month Award” in May 2015. She also received the Certificate of Excellence “Sales Achievement Appreciation Certificate” in 2017.

She took part in the completion of many strategic projects for the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company. She worked on a project to provide 8 medium voltage sectors with a voltage of 22 KV to Jabal Al-Zeit wind station in the canal region, to restore the station to full capacity after an emergency power outage caused by a fire.

During her professional life, she focused on developing her personal skills by obtaining an MBA in 2015. She also obtained many certificates and training courses in several fields from major organizations such as: Risk Management Certificate – ABB 2022; ABB Value Based Selling – Mercury International 2019; Huthwaite Training for SPIN- Logic Management Consultancy 2010; Effective negotiation skills, the American University in Cairo 2008; and Presentation Skills – International Marketing and Management Institute IMI 2008.

WoEgypt: What sparked your interest in engineering? Can you describe the moment you realized this was a field you’d like to pursue? 
Nermin Sobhy: Actually, Engineering is a wide field that enhances skills of problem solving and expressing your thoughts in drawings. I realized that it was the field I admire at the first moment in my practical life and my work at ABB.

WoEgypt: Engineering is an intense major. What was the most challenging part of your college experience? Did you ever experience any uncertainty that this was the path for you? 
NS: College experience was very challenging, it was full of hard continuous work between practical and theoretical with huge number of quizzes, assignments and exams.  I am always certain that working hard continuously will ensure reaching success.

WoEgypt: Tell us what did you learn from your job that you couldn’t have learned in the classroom?
NS: There is always area for improvement and any problem have many solutions. 

WoEgypt: Describe your job as an engineer in ABB.  What are your roles and responsibilities? What does an average day look like for you? 
NS: Main role is to achieve target order booking. Plan the Budget, forecast, sales orders, customer satisfaction and market coverage. Effectively interact with customers. Ensure execution of sales strategy according to sales process. Risk assessment with legal, financial controllers and project Management. Planning Marketing events and seminars to Top customer in Distribution and Transmission electricity companies. And finally managing sales team and support for more customer and market focus.

WoEgypt: What are the biggest misconceptions people have about your job? 
NS: The biggest misconceptions people have about working in big companies in general that you are working as machine without any room for creativity, this is absolutely wrong, Big companies like ABB have strong system, rules and policy that discipline work environment with many channels to encourage individual creativity and talents to be recognized and developed.

WoEgypt: What is it like to be a woman in engineering? What challenges do you face as a woman in the engineering world?
NS: I think working in engineering is the same for women working in any field, same challenges which is mainly to balance your time and effort between your role in work and family responsibilities.

WoEgypt: What advice do you have for women interested in engineering?
NS: Follow your interest, seize every opportunity to develop yourself and never give up but always keep trying.

Finally, what do you wake up looking forward to? What’s next for your career?
NS: I have many aspirations and ambitions. I wish to support Electricity Transmission & distribution companies in Egypt for big projects with latest specifications. Also, I wish to cascade all my experience to my colleagues and junior engineers.

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