The marketing director at Hull holiday home manufacturer Willerby has been named one of the 100 most influential women in engineering.
Kirsten Bolton joined Willerby in 2016, and has since helped drive growth at the company through a string of innovative marketing campaigns.
Kirsten, who was born in Dundee, also works to encourage more young people to study STEM subjects, and tackle the gender gap which exists in the engineering sector.
She has now been named as one of the top 100 most influential women in engineering, in a list compiled by board appointments firm Inclusive Boards.
Kirsten said of making the list: “I am delighted to be included in such a prestigious list and be featured alongside some amazingly talented women.
“I’ve always been passionate about leading by example, inspiring females and giving them the courage to take risks.
“There is a growing number of empowering female role models in the engineering and manufacturing industry and I am proud to be part of this movement. I hope to continue creating new paths for younger women to join this ever-growing industry.
“I can’t wait to meet the other inspirational women on the list and celebrate our success together.”
Kirsten started her career in recruitment, after returning to the UK following a seven-year stint overseas pursuing a career in tourism.
She was also an integral member in launching the AMRC Training Centre in Sheffield, which encourages young people to study STEM subjects, with an emphasis on closing the gender gap in engineering.
Kirsten joined the team at Willerby in 2016, and has had a big impact since arriving in Hull.
She has successfully undertaken a number of projects to drive growth through innovative and cutting-edge marketing campaigns.
More recently, Kirsten introduced a new software system from scratch, to encourage new leads into the business.
Elizabeth Oni-Iyiola, development director at Inclusive Board, said: “Engineers have an impact on almost every area of our day to day lives.
“Kirsten and those featured today are role models who inspire those around them and demonstrate leadership and influence in the work that they do.”
Patrick Clarke, director of network operations at UK Power Networks and judge for the top 100 list, said: “I am personally inspired, but not at all surprised, by the tremendous talent on the Women in Engineering list.
“Sadly, there are still plenty of people who will be surprised due to a mind-set which says engineering equals males not females. I took part as a judge because I wanted to be inspired.”
