Specialty Fabrics Review February 2022 - 38

dad, the company's founder. During
one in-person meeting with Korean
suppliers with whom she'd been
negotiating by phone, they ignored her
and directed all conversation to her
now-retired father.
That frustrating experience rings a
bell with Jennifer Fennell, director of
supply chain for Topeka, Kan.-based
Polo Custom Products.
" It can be a challenge to secure
I think everybody
is becoming a little
more evolved to the
fact women are as
big of contributors,
if not more, than
men are.
Jennifer Fennell
Polo Custom Products
engagement with newly introduced
male counterparts from other cultures
who may be dismissive to my role as a
female, " she agrees. " Sometimes when
I'm introduced to a new supplier, our
male COO [chief operating officer]
will make sure he's involved with the
call so he can legitimize my position
and kind of hand the business off. "
Apurba Banerjee, principal
textiles engineer at Milwaukee Tool,
headquartered in Brookfield, Wis.,
says she has been treated with respect
and offered ample opportunity during
her career, partly because she holds a
Ph.D. But she has noticed other female
scientists in her field being challenged
more than their male counterparts. She
recalls one conference where a male
audience member challenged data
presented by the female speaker by
citing research published on the topic.
The speaker just smiled and informed
him that she had authored the research
paper he was citing.
" He wasn't expecting a woman
in her 30s to write such an amazing
paper, " says Banerjee. " In his mind, he
was seeing an older man. "
In addition to the issues of
discrimination, disrespect or unrealistic
work-life expectations, some of the
hands-on work in industrial textiles can
also be physically grueling for women.
Roberts, who weighs 120 pounds,
frequently requires hydraulic tools,
forklifts or help from stronger
38 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / February 2022
assistants to lift heavy materials or
manipulate bulky products.
" This is not for the faint of heart, "
she advises. " But I run every day and
lift weights twice a week, which makes
a difference. "
Nevertheless, they persisted
How have these women managed to
propel their careers in spite of those
kinds of roadblocks?
Fennell notes that her assertive
personality helps her go toe to toe with
men in her industry, as needed.
" I tend to be a little more outspoken
and not easily intimidated, " she
explains. " But counterparts who aren't
as outspoken have been intimidated
into not-so-favorable positions. "
McCarthy attributes much of her
success to drive and hard work. Along
the way, she's adopted assertive language
skills, with fewer tentative questions and
less use of the word " please. "
" I had to work twice as hard to
prove my worth as a second-generation
employee, and then twice as smart
because I was a woman, " she explains. " It
took a lot of late nights and extra hours
to earn the respect of some colleagues.
" A lot of assumptions used to be
made about women in textiles and
women in manufacturing ... this
was an old-world industry up until
about 15 years ago, when technology
really forced the industry to change.
Suddenly, not everything was shopfloor
politics. "
The silver lining of being female
These women leaders all say they've
sought ways to turn their gender into
a workplace advantage.
" I'm definitely bringing a woman's
perspective to an area mostly
dominated by male energy, " says
Banerjee. For example, she's able to
factor in her experiences as a woman
Specialty Fabrics Review February 2022

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