S4 E1: From Summer Placement to Senior Manager: Meet April Wilkinson

In this brand-new series of Women of Steel, Tata Steel’s host, Abi Thomas kicks things off by chatting to April Wilkinson, Head of Technical at Shotton Works. This year, April will be celebrating two decades spent in steel. But it was while studying for her A-Levels one day, that a lecturer planted the seed in her brain . . . ‘Study Materials Science, and you’ll be guaranteed to get a job by the end of it, particularly as a woman’, he said. Since joining what was then Corus as a Summer Placement in the early 2000’s, April has risen through the ranks to become one of three female senior managers at Shotton Works – and has broken many more records since. Join Abi and April for a conversation about April’s climb to the top – were there any bumps along the way? How did she manage the inevitable feelings of self-doubt? What advice can she give to twenty-somethings, like Abi, at the start of their careers? Tune in to find out. Follow us: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tatasteeluk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tatasteeluk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatasteeluk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tata-steel-uk-ireland