Welcome to the next edition of Leadership Matters where we ask leaders around the Pacific Zone for their insights and advice about leadership matters to support our continuing journey of personal and professional development.
In this edition, we hear from Segment Leader – Mining, Minerals & Metals Emilie Ditton. Emilie is responsible in bringing Schneider Electric's capabilities to our mining, minerals, and metals (MMM) customers and supporting them in their sustainability journeys in the Pacific.
Emilie has 17 years’ experience in providing digital advisory services to mining companies and technology suppliers to mining companies. Prior to her current role, Emilie was a senior director at Capgemini Invent in Australia, where she established and led Capgemini Invent's Intelligent Industry consulting division.
Emilie is passionate about the opportunity that industrial digital transformation and Industry 4.0 brings to sustainable business practices. She is proud to be part of our inclusive and diverse organisation, contributing to the impact that Schneider Electric is having in creating a sustainable future for organisations around the world.
What motivates and excites you about your role at Schneider Electric?
I am delighted by the path we are on at Schneider Electric. We have the privilege of making a significant impact and leading by example in supporting our clients to operate at the forefront of technology innovation and at the intersection of electrification and digitalisation for meaningful transformation. What motivates me the most is bringing this innovation to life and having the opportunity to work with great people in our teams and in our clients’ teams to find the best pathways to deliver that impact. I love that Schneider Electric brings the physical stuff and data platforms together to enable sustainability transformation, and that this is core to Schneider Electric’s business and has been for a long time. Authenticity matters to me! And I love the opportunity I have to play a part in building the business and envisaging with our people how we navigate the path to achieve things we didn’t think we could.
We’re one of the leading companies in the world when it comes to sustainability. How are you and your team contributing to this?
It might not seem obvious at first, but sustainability and decarbonisation are critical to the MMM industry and the role in the world that it plays. On the one hand – these companies contribute around 20% of carbon dioxide emissions globally. Being heavy industry, the transformation to decarbonise their operations is a difficult challenge, but it is one on which the industry is focused. Ultimately, this will shift how the industry operates. On the other hand, MMM companies have the accountability to find, extract, and process the materials that are required to support the sustainability transformation for the rest of the world. So, our MMM team has an amazing opportunity to bring its expertise and innovation at the cross section of electrical capabilities and digital to do that in the Pacific, which has one of the most innovative mining and metals markets in the world – so we have a massive role that we are very excited to play!
What was a moment in your career that was pivotal or changed you in some way?
The most pivotal moment was when I decided to establish and build the global mining strategic research and consulting practice at technology analyst firm IDC. I had an incredible opportunity to establish and then lead the practice for 10 years. I took this challenge on when there really was not a great deal of evidence that it was a good idea! This time for me was so important because I was really able to get into my stride in being comfortable to set my own direction and learn how to take the people around me with me. The opportunity of that role in learning to navigate problems and build networks, and to learn from clever people was career changing for me. Through that process, I learned the impact that truly enabling leadership can have, the value of building a great network through genuine connections, and the importance of trusting your vision, direction, and gut. It was one of the most rewarding periods of my career and really a seminal time for me.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Never be scared to do something that is hard.”
Which of our company values resonates with you most and why?
For me ‘customer first’ and ‘dare to disrupt’ are the two values that resonate very strongly. We have choices all the time in our business and very often people have different perspectives, but at the end of day we need to be focused on how we impact the businesses of our customers, build relationships, and truly partner over the long term. For ‘dare to disrupt’ – well this has been a bit of catch cry for me. I think the trick (and difficulty) is being able to disrupt in such a way that has impact and drives changes, but where people are given the chance to come along with you and give their perspective where they can’t.