Aisha Sheikh, Wacker Polysilicon North America L.L.C. | Women Breaking the Mold 2023

For the most part, there are no gray areas in mathematics and chemistry, and the empirical nature of STEM subjects is what drew Aisha Sheikh toward quality control.

That, and the work/life balance that Wacker Chemie A.G. offers, she said.

"I'm a single mom of a 7-year-old," Sheikh told Rubber News. "And this is one of the main reasons that I would not take a higher paying job even if it was offered. I truly appreciate that my company allows me the flexibility that it does."

Specifically, Sheikh works for Wacker Polysilicon North America L.L.C., one of four major business divisions for the Munich-based Wacker Chemie.

She handles final product releases at Wacker's Charleston facilities, a campus that recently announced a $200 million expansion for silicone products. Sheikh currently works with final fumed and pyrogenic silica raw materials, as well as room temperature vulcanized rubbers.

"We make sure things are up to our standards and global standards," she said. "Silica is a raw material that is in so many things—from automotive tubing, to vaccine packaging (to keep it insulated during transport) to paints and coatings, even lipstick, to make sure it is the right consistency."

Sheikh has four technicians who work for her. She has been with the company for seven years.

While her interest in STEM got her into quality control, she excels in community service outside the walls of the expansive Wacker facility in the Tennessee Valley.

"Clearly community service is important," Sheikh said. "I feel like it's a passion for me ... and again, I appreciate that my company allows me to do this. The kids are our future, and I love getting into the schools to do these things."

In a sense, Sheikh and her daughter have written the playbook that they then can bring into the schools and community.

"We do science projects on the weekends, and it is great to test things out on her first," she said. "I can ask her, 'Is this fun?' 'Is this something you enjoy doing?' "

For her own part, her degree in chemistry was rooted in an ease of understanding that few have for science and mathematics.

"I don't like tinkering ... I like numbers and black-and-white issues," she said. "It is why quality control fits me so well."

Scott Borst, business director of silicone operations in Charleston, said in his Women Breaking the Mold nomination letter that Sheikh is an invaluable member of the Tennessee team.

"Aisha is a dedicated member of my team who successfully juggles her responsibilities as a devoted parent to supporting STEM events in our local Bradley County, Tenn., community, including the Habitat for Humanity building project with our company's Women of Wacker," Borst wrote. "She is an excellent ambassador for our company."

By achieving her own high level at Wacker, Sheikh represents a frequently under-represented segment of the rubber industry—women, and especially women of color.

"She contributes to and advances the mission of a large multinational supplier of raw materials for the silicone rubber industry," Borst said. "Aisha's management, intercultural and people skills allow her to excel at leading a team of quality control technicians in performing detailed work to support the production and sales of Wacker's HDK fumed silica."

Borst added that as a member of Wacker's leadership team, Sheikh provides "valuable input and perspective on the direction and strategy of this crucial production unit."

"In addition to her phenomenal work ethic, Aisha supports our company in various unassuming ways," Borst said.

Sheikh represents Wacker as a member of the Tennessee Chapter of the Women in Manufacturing Association, which works to empower women workers and strengthen the manufacturing sectors.

She lends her image and voice to recruiting print ads for the company and serves as an interview source for local media stories regarding the company's community outreach, one of Sheikh's passions.

And Sheikh has developed and participated in career days at a local elementary school, reading books to classroom students and providing insight on being a chemist. She has also set up booths at local high schools for career days and participated in a STEM panel for Cleveland, Tenn., city school teachers to answer questions about the STEM work force.

The same culture Sheikh described as ingrained at Wacker—a realistic, no-questions-asked work/life balance—is the same company virtue that Sheikh said can help remove obstacles for women and minorities in the rubber industry.

"That balance is how we get to this point, honestly," Sheikh said. "That flexibility—especially during the pandemic—is the virtue that keeps people with companies."

And for a younger generation of women, Sheikh said self-confidence goes a long way.

"I know that I started out with a lot of doubt," she said. "Am I capable of doing this? The answer is yes, you are. When you are trying to draw in women to the rubber industry, self-confidence is everything. You can do this, and you can do it as well or better than anyone else.

"Just be you—and trust in yourself. No company wants a bunch of the same type of thinking."

Years with company: 7
Years in rubber industry: 5

Here at Wacker, I am continuously challenged to be a better version of myself. When I think I can't do something, I am given the guidance, direction and resources to do it, and I come out believing more in my own abilities than I ever did before.

I wouldn't necessarily call it "challenging" my company or co-workers. Here we see ourselves as a team, one unit, being successful at work isn't about challenging each other as much as it is about promoting each other's strengths and facilitating a healthy environment to ask for help. I see my co-workers and my team members as an extension of my family, we are here to help each other out to reach a common goal.

To me, leadership begins with trust, integrity, leading by example and forming a relationship. These things are not easy or quick to obtain. I am constantly making the conscious effort to prove that I am here to be a voice for my employees, that they are heard, and that I would never ask them to do something that I, myself, wouldn't do. Once you are genuinely trusted, then the rest comes easy. You know who you are leading and can best help each of them reach their individual development goals.

I wasn't necessarily "drawn" to the rubber industry per se, I was drawn to the chemical industry stemming from my chemistry background and started my employment with my current company in the polysilicon area, as expansion came I was interested in what our new silicones division had to offer. And now that I am in it, I feel like I have found my niche. It is very rewarding knowing the vast amount of products we are in that are used on a daily basis. Rubbers can be as simple or as complex as needed. The products that come from the rubber industry makes everyone's lives easier!

Not everyone is going to have the same ideas, it is OK to disagree. There is not always just one right way to do things. However, I think if someone is struggling to prove their credibility, it stems from a deeper issue of workplace culture and environment. My advice would be to first recognize how they are portraying themselves to others and how the culture is around them. Sometimes we have to be flexible in order to be successful.

I am a scientist—an analyst. I advocate for my ideas with facts and data. I rarely give an opinion on something without statistics and proof to back it up. To me, numbers are black and white, it's hard to argue with facts.

This is tough, I do not believe I have any specific "failures" to address, but I will say that we all make mistakes. It is about how we come out of them and what we learn from them that matters the most. If you fall down 1,000 times then you must get up 1,001 times.