Lila Vazquez Villamor
Lila is a Graduate Engineer at SSE Renewables, with a clear aim to become a leader in the transition to a net-zero carbon future. At SSE, she has built on her academic expertise by developing engineering and project management experience across multiple teams.
Lila is also part of several Advisory and Working groups, both internally at SSE and industry-wide, including one she currently chairs. She is keen to explore non-executive roles to grow her leadership skills and contribute her specialist and project development knowledge, coupled with a fresh perspective.
Here she shares her experience of the Women on Boards Bursary:
“Women on Boards has really helped me understand which of my skills as an engineer are relevant to a non-executive role. I’ve been able to learn from the large number of tools and guidance available how to showcase my skills in the right way when going for a board role.
There is a lot huge amount of support available and also so many different opportunities out there as a non-executive, even if you are at an early stage in your career like myself.”
“I’ve got a much better understanding of which of my skills are relevant to a non-executive role and how to present them when going for a board role.”
The Building a Board CV course is a great example, which breaks this down in a straight-forward way.
“Thinking about what type of board I would be interested in, and why, has also been a key part of the journey. I’m keen to find a board role that contributes to tackling climate change and has a focus on supporting the progress towards a zero carbon future, a sector I’m passionate about.
While committing time has been one of the main challenges, I have begun researching a number of charities and community groups in this field that might benefit from a board member with my skill set. I’m now confident that I can put myself across well as a prospective board member and understand what is involved in the role.”