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Meet Melisa Crofts, Engineering Solutions’ first female traffic specialist

Meet Melisa Crofts, Engineering Solutions’ first female traffic specialist
Material supplied by Coates
Meet Melisa Crofts, Engineering Solutions’ first female traffic specialist
Melisa Crofts, Engineering Solutions’ first female traffic specialist. Image: Coates.

Coates believe that gender equality in the workplace is vital to supporting a successful future. Striving to evolve the cultural landscape of their Engineering Solutions offering, they are focused more than ever on fostering an environment that supports women into leadership roles.

Melissa Crofts has been at Coates for ten years, and is the first female product specialist for Pumps, Shoring & Traffic. She primarily looks after traffic-related applications, which includes diverse responsibilities such as site visits, tendering on major road projects, booking barrier installations, scheduling, invoicing, and seeing each project that comes through her division from start to completion.

“Accepting this role in Engineering Solutions – following many years in Operations and Sales – has definitely been one of my biggest career highlights to date,” she reflects. “As the first woman in a specialist Engineering Solutions role, I’m hoping to demonstrate that we are more than capable of exceling when given the chance.”

Her day-to-day is never quite the same, presenting unique challenges with each new project. Navigating this keeps the role exciting, she says, but it’s all about making the lives of her clients easier. In many cases, a level of flexibility and proactiveness can build trust with them to ensure the best outcome.

According to Crofts, finding herself in this type of role was the outcome of being offered the right support at the right time. While Engineering Solutions wasn’t something she set out to get involved in, the people and work environment have made it somewhere she feels at home.

“I finished Year 12, but I didn’t go to university or pursue further studies,” she says. “It just wasn’t something that I believed I could do, but when I came on board with Coates, I was immediately encouraged to find my niche in this industry and run with it.”

“It just goes to show that it’s less about having an engineering degree; if you have the right people to support you and a rewarding work environment, anything is possible.”

A recent milestone in Crofts’ career at Coates was her experience participating in their Leadership, Excellence, and Performance (LEAP) Program, which facilitates a platform for high-potential female talent to build on strengths in agility, business acumen, habits, accountability, and advocacy.

“It has really encouraged me to come out of my comfort zone, delivering a speech to our managers and CEO at the graduation,” she says. “I found that to be a really special experience and a big step for me not just professionally, but personally as well.”

The support and training offered by Coates has accelerated her trajectory to a specialist position, she says, as the company has encouraged education and upskilling wherever it’s required.

“There is so much support available with anything I put my hand up for. I’ve completed a Microsoft Excel course, sales training, and of course the LEAP program. It really can’t be overstated how valuable it is to have people believe in you and put your name forward or these types of opportunities that I wouldn’t otherwise know about.”

Crofts hopes that by demonstrating her passion for helping people, she can be a good role model to her children as they grow and start making decision about their future.

“I want to show them that anything is possible. They can see the passion and commitment that I demonstrate in my job, and I hope it shows them that if you put your mind to something, the sky’s the limit.”

She says that to any women considering a career path related to engineering  solutions, taking the plunge is guaranteed to be a rewarding experience.

“Just go for it,” she enthuses. “And don’t ever be afraid to speak up; we are worth it and have a lot more to offer in these industries than people realise. Once you take the first steps to back yourself and make good connections, you’ll soon realise how much you’re actually capable of, and how many opportunities come up for growth.”

 


 

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