Ankita Saikia, Tyromer Inc. | Women Breaking the Mold 2023

Ankita Saikia is well-known at her company for being an incredible employee because of how she has honed her technical skills and her people and leadership skills. She is highly recognized by co-workers for her emotional intelligence which sets her apart.

Saikia attributes her ability to connect with others to several factors related to her experiences in life.

"Growing up with a brother with special needs helped me develop high levels of empathy at an early age," Saikia said. "Coupled with attention to detail, observation skills and patience with people has always made it relatively easier for me to connect with people.

"My mom and grandma always taught us to learn to see others as just fellow human beings, as equals, regardless of societal labels. This helps remove feelings of superiority or inferiority."

A few of her daily tasks in her role include supervising and consulting on research and development projects; completing technical calls with current and potential customers; occasionally setting up and maintaining the quality system for different productions sites; customer and quality audits; and assisting and guiding each site with technical queries and problems.

Her first job was in Apollo Tyres right after she completed her undergraduate degree. One of her first of many accomplishments occurred during that time.

"In my professional career, one of the greatest accomplishments that is also very close to my heart is my first job," Saikia said. "I was the first and only female to be hired in that department. When I decided to leave my job to pursue higher education, during my exit interview I was told that because of my sincere work and work ethic they feel confident to hire more female candidates in that department and in other similar roles."

Another achievement Saikia shared is being part of the team who brought Tyromer Inc.'s devulcanization process from lab to production scale and to a level where the company could qualify the process to a standard acceptable by the automotive industry.

"We are actively helping the tire and rubber industry better understand devulcanization. On a broader scale, it is establishing Tyromer's devulcanization process as one of the important solutions to the global waste rubber problem," Saikia said.

Encouraging females to pursue STEM-related careers is a passion for Saikia.

"While it is an unfortunate fact that in STEM the female-to-male ratio is low, it is important to (remember that) … we are seeing that the world is changing and along with it the industry is also evolving and opening up.

"My family has played a big part in instilling in me a level of confidence and showing me that a career in STEM is an option."

Awareness is key, Saikia said, noting that it is important to expose girls to science, technology and math at early ages. Doing so can help them build their confidence and lay a foundation for them to pursue careers in science fields.

And building their confidence? Well, that takes a village. It's a message they need to hear at home as well as school.

Throughout her career, Saikia has learned some valuable lessons. Among them is finding the courage to speak for yourself, to share your ideas and advocate for them.

"Sometimes," she said, "you think your idea is very obvious, but it might not be to others."

And don't be afraid to roll up your sleeves and work harder.

"I believe there is no replacement for hard work, but at the same time, if you find a way to improve efficiency, don't overlook it because it feels easy," Saikia said.

Above all else, she said, learn from your mistakes.

"Don't be discouraged or embarrassed by your failures. It is important to celebrate your successes and equally—if not more important—to learn from your mistakes. Learning to pick yourself up after a fall is one of the best skills to master."

One of the best ways to master that skill is to apply introspection. Doing so, Saikia said, allows you to set goals, identify and apply your strengths, and build critical habits needed for success.

Mentors have been important to Saikia, and she has had quite a few in her career. Among them are Don McRae and Dr. Denger.

McRae taught her a great deal about rubber compounding, quality system, how devulcanized rubber behaves in a compound, and to be calm and patient in the midst of chaos. Denger was the first person to suggest that she would do well in quality, but never discarded her technical knowledge.

And there was, of course, her family

"I am the kind of person who loves external motivation. The key motivator would have been my mom, along with my family, being my support and my personal cheerleader squad at the same time," Saikia said. "Another thing that helps me stay focused and motivated are the goals (personal and professional goals) that I set for myself."

Years with company: Almost nine years
Years in rubber industry: 11 years

Since we are a small company, we wear multiple hats and sometimes, in a day, priorities change a few times. The challenge is then learning to be flexible enough to switch between multiple tasks from different departments without losing sight of the previous tasks at hand. Sometimes I joke that my brain does a lot of yoga, stretching between four and five seemingly unrelated tasks at once.

We are a relatively new technology so at times our problems are also new. That makes it both interesting and challenging.

By giving importance to risk assessment and continuous improvements of process and products. By exploring new opportunities with different rubber streams and different applications, challenging individuals to stay engaged, and most times (ensuring they have) hands-on experiences running these processes.

My team is quite close-knit, and we take out time to listen to each other and never miss out on a chance to motivate each other or even point out areas where we can grow.

Leadership, to me, looks like a person who is willing to slow down their pace at times to make sure the group doesn't fall behind. Who is intricately involved with the details of a problem but is always able to step out and pull the team toward the main goal. It also looks like the maturity of being OK and happy to see the next generation rising above by building on top of the foundation that they laid.

I try to lead by example of my own hard work and the quality of my work. I try to understand individual potential, learn and show them trust. I try to guide them but also give them a chance to present their ideas and analysis. For me, being a good listener is very important, I want my team to know that they are heard and their contribution matters.

My interest in the rubber industry peaked around the third year of my undergrad studies when I first realized the amazing properties and applications of this polymer.

The fact that my work with this clean devulcanization has such a great potential impact on the environment is very rewarding. To work with a company that wants to make sure this technology is available globally, assisting people who are willing to work toward this cause.

a) Don't be afraid to speak up and to respectfully repeat yourself. It is important to believe in yourself, have a clear picture in your mind and then present your ideas with confidence.

I would say that it always helps if you give the reasoning/logic behind your ideas.

b) I believe in a lot of cases where action speaks louder than words, your work should be your testimony.

I always like to present an idea backed up with data whenever possible or at least concise reasons supporting it. When I present an idea, I also like to give a rough sketch of the steps or plan for implementing or test out that idea.

a) One of the projects that I worked on (though I can't give out a lot of details about it). I was involved in setting and implementing a system and then training personnel to use it and keep it up to date.

I noticed that after a few months of me stepping back, the project fell behind substantially.

b) Lessons—You can't expect everyone to have the same level of work output. Different people have different potentials and shortcomings, so it is important to first analyze the general range of potential and then tailor the training program based on those factors. Frequent checks during the handover period is important, and it is also important to include in the training program the "why" behind a task you expect an employee to perform.