Maria Belén Aranda Colás accepts her Engineer Powerwoman 2017 award.
Deutsche Messe has announced its fifth Engineer Powerwoman, Maria Belén Aranda Colás. The award is given to a female STEM professional for initiative, ideas and dedication in promoting innovative technologies in her company or organization. Colás was presented with the award, which is worth 5,000 euros, at the opening ceremony of the WoMenPower conference by Yasmin Fahimi, state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and Deutsche Messe’s managing board chairman Dr. Wolfram von Fritsch.
According to a Hannover Messse release, the jury chose Colás because of her achievements as a project manager as well as for her commitment to promoting women in the STEM professions.
Colás has been a member of the management team at Robert Bosch GmbH since March of 2017. Prior to that, she served as project manager for autonomous driving in Robert Bosch’s chassis systems control unit. Colás, who holds a degree in electrical engineering, is a committed advocate of new technologies that improve traffic safety, and over the years has championed the cause of autonomous driving at numerous conferences and panel discussions and on joint working groups with lawmakers and regulators. She also mentors young girls and female university students.
This year’s WoMenPower conference, which comprised numerous lectures, workshops and seminars on career issues, success strategies and innovative employment models, was attended by 1,400 women and men. At the supporting exhibition, more than 50 participating companies, industry associations, business networks, organizations and trainers provided information on career opportunities, coaching and mentoring offerings as well as a range of employment, industrial relations and labor-market topics.
The main sponsors of the conference are Audi, Continental, Harting, Deloitte, Robert Bosch, WAGO Kontakttechnik and the German Federal Defense Forces.
