Women working with Honeywell - a major player in commercial and consumer security products, engineering services and aerospace systems - enjoy exciting and rewarding careers.

One of these women is Jo Martin who recently took up the important position of Strategic Accounts Leader - Europe. An experienced sales professional, Jo’s career spans more than three decades and, although she is fairly new to her role with Honeywell, she already feels at home thanks to the company’s supportive and inclusive culture.

Where Women Work had a chat with Jo to learn about her work and why she would recommend Honeywell to further women sales professionals.

An exciting time for women working in security

Honeywell Europe focuses on delivering innovative technology in the areas of home security and home comfort - from wireless doorbells through to connected thermostats and alarm systems. Jo believes this is a great area of sales to work in because there is so much digital change going on at present.

“I am excited about my industry as it’s in a state of change where we are moving from a hardware edge device sell to a software/cloud solution play. Being part of this transformation is very exciting and having recently joined Honeywell I was surprised to see so few females in the security industry sector - but this is an aspect that is changing,” explains Jo.

Cultures, skill-sets and connections

When asked about her leadership style, Jo explains that: “As a European leader I need to consider a number of different cultures, different skill-sets and make the Honeywell European team a truly connected team that offers the best in class service for our clients.”

In order to achieve this, Jo requires a range of skills and attributes including: great listening skills, the ability to build relationships and a knack for problem solving.

“As a leader you need to listen to the client and your team. You also need to not be scared to get your hands dirty in the field, working with the sales professionals to develop customer relationships and help find solutions for clients,” Jo expands.

“As a more mature leader I have learnt to lead by example, especially when we are moving into new territories both technically and in terms of markets. This helps give the team the confidence to not be afraid to try new things. My approach is to encourage the team to have a go and fail rather than not have a go and not to grow.”

Equal opportunities for everyone

As well as enjoying the area of sales and leadership she works in, Jo relishes working with Honeywell as a company due to its progressive work culture and policies.

“At Honeywell the culture is to give everyone equal opportunities to grow, be successful and to learn and develop new skills,” she says. “I joined the business because this culture breeds success and I want to succeed within this dynamic type of organisation. I equally want to see my team succeed and at Honeywell they get my 100 per cent support along with a supportive business.”

Jo adds that the team at Honeywell is very “connected and informed”. She recalls that during her first few months in her job she was grateful to be able to work with so many knowledgeable, helpful and willing people who went the extra mile to support her.

“This is a very rare experience and I feel honored to be part of the team,” she comments.

Words of wisdom for future Honeywell employees

Jo describes herself as passionate, motivated and dedicated and says that further women who possess these attributes should consider careers with Honeywell also.

“Honeywell is an engaging company that gives females every opportunity to be successful. If you want to learn and be pushed to be the best you can, then this is the company that you should join,” she adds.

“As a female I often find myself in male dominated meetings and this can initially feel overwhelming. My advice for women interested in this industry is: have a voice and do not be scared to be heard! You earned the right to be at that table and you have experience and knowledge - so please share your thoughts and ideas as you will inspire others with your strategic suggestions.”

Finally, Jo recommends that women read the business book The Lean Startup by Eric Ries for a bit of work inspiration - so those looking to follow in Jo’s footsteps might wish to take heed!

Join motivated women like Jo at Honeywell

There are many ambitious and dedicated women working at Honeywell.

If you’d like to add your skills to the team, why not search and apply for one of Honeywell’s excellent job opportunities?

Find out more