IEOM Women in Industry and Academia Forum
Launch of Women in Industry and Academia by Resh Plaha at IEOM 2015 Dubai: http://youtu.be/XB1T23MfxhA
Past WIIA Panel Sessions
- 2015 Dubai
- 2016 KL
- 2016 Detroit
- 2017 Rabat
- 2018 Bandung
- 2018 Washington DC
- 2018 Johannesburg
- 2018 Pari
- 2019 Bangkok
- 2019 Pilsen
- 2019 Toronto
- 2020 Dubai
- 2020 Detroit
- 2020 Harare
- 2021 Singapore
- 2021 Sao Paulo
- 2021 Rome
- 2021 Bangalore, India
- 2021 Indonesia
- 2021 Monterrey
Committee Members
Founding Chair, 2015
Ms. Resh Plaha, Crystal Quality, UK
Past Committee Members
Aamenah Bashir
BSc. Computer Engineering, MSc. Engineering Systems Management, ITIL Certified
IT Specialist
Office of Academic Computing
American University of Sharjah
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Dr. Chan Chee-Ming
Associate Professor and Deputy Dean (Academic and Research)
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
Johor, Malaysia
Dr. Ilham Kissani
Faulty of Engineering & Management Science
Al Akhawayn University
Ifrane, Morocco
Dr. Mey Goh
Assoc Professor in Product Design
Loughborough University, UK
May Othman
American University of Sharjah
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Dr. Stefanie Pillai
Dean and Associate Professor
Faculty of Languages & Linguistics
University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dr. Adibah Shuib
Head of Strategic Planning (Monitoring)
Centre for Strategic Planning
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Malaysia
Dr. Vanajah Siva
Chalmers University
Sweden
Vanessa Victoire
University of Mauritius
Mauritius
Prof. Soumaya Yacout
Ăcole Polytechnique de MontrĂ©al
Canada
Dr. Rashmi Jha
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Master of Computer Applications
Gitarattan International Business School
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
New Delhi, India
Dr. Tagwa Ahmed Musa
Dean and Associate Professor College of Petroleum Engineering and Technology
Sudan University of Science and Technology
Khartoum, Sudan
Dr. Galia Novakova
Computing Systems Department
Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics
Sofia University
Sofia, Bulgaria
Ms. Iman Youssef, MA. ILC. CA
CEO, Amour Fragrance
CEO, Best Canadian Liquidation (BCL)
LaSalle, Ontario, Canada
Ms. Youssef, is an Arab-Canadian woman-entrepreneur, community activist, CEO of two companies Amour Fragrances and Best Canadian Liquidation (BCL) located in Canada.
Ms. Youssef is a humanitarian activist, national and international volunteer who regularly manages sponsorships and raises funds to support international causes. She participates in humanitarian and voluntary community work and fully engaged in supporting many charity organizations.
Ms. Youssef is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Business Administration at William Howard Taft University with a research focused on Entrepreneurship among female immigrants; in collaboration with Windsor Women working with immigrant women WWWIW. Iman is fluent in Arabic, English and Sign language, she has applied these skills to pursue other opportunities in business. In 2007, Iman participated in hosting a health and beauty segment on My Second Home, a weekly television program through Rogers T.V. The purpose of this show was to help new immigrants to Canada by providing them with information to assist in the transition from the Middle East to Canada.
Ms. Youssef is a member of board of directors of Daughters for Life Foundation; a non-profit organization, providing quality education for young women of the Middle East to achieve lasting peace. Ms. Youssef has more than two decades of experience in entrepreneurship, and a member of the Canada Arab Chamber of Commerce who awarded her the Business Excellence Award in 2013.
Ms. Youssef was cited in the book titled SHEROES NEXT DOOR, When Ordinary women make extraordinary resolve by Subarna Gupta which was published by Next Century Publishing, Las Vegas Nevada, 2016. The book has helped thousands of people to think big. Iman has an interesting Entrepreneurship journey was one of ten inspiring stories published by the author. The link for the book is at: https://www.amazon.com/Sheroes-Next-Door-Ordinary-Extraordinary/dp/1681022052.
Women in Industry and Academia (WIIA) Panel Session
IEOM South Africa Conference at Saint George Hotel, Pretoria, October 30, 2018
Panel Chair: Dr. Nita Sukdeo , University of Johannesburg
Panel Speakers
Panel Speaker I:
Dr. Nita Sukdeo
Full time senior lecturer in Quality and Operations Management
BTech Quality Programme Manager
Department of Quality and Operations Management
University of Johannesburg
Gauteng, South Africa
Dr. Nita Sukdeo is currently a full time senior lecturer in the field of Quality and Operations Management, and the BTech Quality programme manager, in the Department of Quality and Operations Management, at the University of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. She obtained a Masters in Quality from the Durban University of Technology and a PhD in Engineering Management from the University of Johannesburg. She is an emerging young researcher in the field of total quality management and operations management. Her field of expertise also include quantitative analysis, quality management systems, quality auditing and risk assessment. She is a qualified Lead Auditor, proficient in ISO standards and certification. She is one of the directors of the Society for Operations Management in Africa (SOMA), as well as a professional member of the South African Society for Quality (SASQ).
Panel Speaker II:
Dr Hannelie Nel
Senior Lecturer
Postgraduate School of Engineering Management
Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment
University of Johannesburg
South Africa
Dr Hannelie Nel is a Senior Lecturer at the Postgraduate School of Engineering Management, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg. She holds a Doctorate in Engineering Management with twenty yearsâ experience in both industry and academia. Dr Nel is an Honorary Fellow of the Southern African Society for Industrial Engineering and currently serves on the Boards of Denel and the Society for Engineering Education. She is a registered professional engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa; an Associate Member of the Institute of Directors; and a Member of the International Womenâs Association.
Panel Speaker III:
Eveth Nkeiruka Nwobodo-Anyadiegwu
Lecturer and doctoral student
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment
University of Johannesburg
South Africa
Eveth Nkeiruka Nwobodo-Anyadiegwu. is a lecturer and doctoral student at the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She hold the following degrees BSc. Hons. Management, B.Engr Hons., MBA (Management) from the University of Nigeria.  Her research interests are in Continuous Improvement in Service Operations, Operations Research, Project Management, and Engineering Education and have published more than 12 academic papers.
Panel Speaker IV:
Yvette Shibambo
Senior Project Manager
Eskom – Enteprise Division
Witbank Area, South Africa
Yvette Thandekile Shibambo is currently a senior manager at Eskom, and is responsible for the Delivery of the Balance of Plant at Kusile Power Station Project. Her responsibility if to ensure that the following plant: Coal plant, Ash plant, Limestone handling plant, Flue Gas Desulphurization plant, Water Treatment plant and Waste Water treatment plant are delivered on time to support the 6 Units. She has been with Eskom for 17 years. She joined Eskom as bursar and grew up within the ranks. She holds a BSc (Mathematics) and Postgraduate Diploma in (Engineering) from Pretoria University, and an MSc (Engineering) from the University of Warwick. She is a sought after Conference speaker, who has written and presented papers on local and international stages. She chairs Project Management Conferences and is in the process of writing her 1st book on building Mega Projects.
Panel Speaker V:
Dimakatso Lesabe
Head: Quality Assurance at City of Cape Town
Johannesburg Area, South Africa
Dimakatso M. Lesabe was born in Pretoria and recently relocated to Cape Town to pursue her career. Dimakatso is currently appointed as the Head: Quality Assurance in the Scientific Services Branch of the Water and Sanitation Department, at City of Cape Town, South Africa. She obtained a Bachelor of Technology degree in Quality from UNISA, and BSc Honours in Environmental Management from the University of South Africa, respectively. Dimakatso was previously employed as a Deputy Director, Quality Assurance Manager within the Centre of Innovation Business Unit, at Gauteng Department of e-Government and SHEQ Practitioner at National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA-Pretoria) whereby she was overseeing the Quality Management System of the organization to maintain the ISO 17025 Accreditation status. During her career journey, she worked in different chemistry laboratories as a laboratory analyst. Amongst other organizations, she had worked for Eskom, BPSA, and SAPS-Forensic Services. Her field of expertise includes quality management systems, EHS Management System. She is currently completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Risk Management and has acquired experience, knowledge and skills in ISO Standards (ISO 17025; 9001; 14001; and OHSAS 18001). She is a professional member of the South African Quality Authority (SASQ) and South African Quality Institute (SAQI).
Panel Speaker VI:
Rendani Luvhengo
Freelance Consultant
Johannesburg, South Africa
Rendani Luvhengo is currently a freelancing Non Destructive Technician. She obtained a National Diploma in Non Destructive Testing in 2013 at the Vaal University of Technology. She further completed level 2 certificates in Magnetic Particle Testing and Dye penetrant testing in 2014. Her passion in quality propelled her to enroll for quality and was honoured with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Quality at the University of Johannesburg in 2018. To better her horizons she took it upon herself to learn and equip herself with more knowledge by completing a course in ISO 9001:2015 lead auditor at Bureau Veritas.
Panel Speaker VII:
Natasha Ramkirpal
Production and Process Improvement Specialist
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) – part of the businessâs Manufacturing Centre of Excellence
Natasha Ramkirpal is a Production and Process Improvement Specialist at Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA), part of the businessâs Manufacturing Centre of Excellence. She is currently responsible for implementing and improving standards that serve to improve the production capability of manufacturing plants across the CCBSA group. She plays an integral role in the development and improvement of business processes and systems and is a key driver of overall manufacturing performance improvement across CCBSA (13 sites). Her most recent achievements include leading the manufacturing stream for a unified SAP ERP integration platform for CCBAâs South African operations. She has worked in industry for well over a decade. She started her career of interning as a student at Mondi Paper, and went on to become a Process Control Engineer at Mintek and BASF before beginning her management traineeship with SABMillerâs Soft Drinks division. She has grown within her business from a shift Production Team Leader to successfully managing some of the largest and fastest packaging lines within CCBSA, as a Production Unit Manager. Her migration into CCBSAâs Technical team saw her support, lead, and develop a great deal of initiatives that have led to substantial environmental improvements for the business. She has also been involved in new packaging designs that have changed the look and feel of the products we know and love. She completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of KwaZulu Natal. She also holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Management (Finance and Supply Chain), and an Advanced Diploma in Packaging Technology (Cum Laude). In addition to this she has also completed a Lean Manufacturing Qualification from Wits University, and a Women in Leadership development program via GIBS. She is also working on completing a CIMA in Operational Management and an MSc in Engineering and Technology with the University of Pretoria.
Panel Speaker VIII:
Charlaine Baartjes
Founding Partner
EcoPartners
Founding Partner at EcoPartners started in 2005, Charlaine has extensive experience in the Mining, Construction, Bulk Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Waste, Oil & Lubrication; and Land Development fields. Having applied 20 years of experience in the Environmental sector, she has had the opportunity to work closely with all the components of Sustainable Development, Project Management, and Implementation of standards. She worked at the âcoal-faceâ in the mining industry in Diamonds, Platinum, Coal, Gold and Industrial minerals. Qualified with a double masters, one in Business (MBA) and one in Science (MSc), she has an innovative approach to the challenges facing both business and the environment, negotiating a win-win solution rather than forcing a one-way answer. Charlaine has completed >1,000 hours Auditing and >2,000 hours Training for industry. She has produced in excess of 50 technical reports and legal authorisations. Charlaine has worked closely with Legal, Finance and Engineering Advisors, NGOâs, Project Specialists, Competent Authorities and Project Proponents. Most recently she enrolled for her doctorate in âWaste Preventionâ, focusing on finding solutions rather than shouting at the world not to change.
Dr. Anthea Amadi-Echendu
Senior Lecturer
Acting Chair of the Department of Operations Management
University of South Africa
Anthea Amadi-Echendu is a senior lecturer at the University of South Africa. She is Acting Chair of the Department of Operations Management. She holds a Master of Commerce degree from the University of South Africa and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Pretoria. Anthea has presented various national and international conference papers and published several journal papers. She holds directorships of the Society of Operations Management in Africa (SOMA) and Destiny Environmental and Infrastructure Development (Pty) Ltd). Anthea is also a founder member of SOMA. She has more than 15 yearsâ industry experience on various levels.
Program at IEOM 2016 Kuala Lumpur
 Session – Woman in Industry and Academia (Room – Starhill 5)
11:30 â 12:45 (Tuesday)
11:30 â 11:55 (Tuesday)
Dr. Adibah Shuib
Acting President
MSORMS (Malaysian Society of Operations Research and Management Science)
Head of Strategic Planning (Monitoring)
Centre for Strategic Planning
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Dr. Adibah Shuib is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences of the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Master of Science in Computational & Applied Mathematics from the Old Dominion University, USA. She received her PhD in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adibah Shuib is currently the Head of Strategic Planning at the Centre for Strategic Planning and Information of UiTM. Her main responsibilities include monitoring the implementation of the universityâs strategic initiatives and the achievement of the Universityâs KPIs. She is also the Director for the Integrated Programme Management of the UiTMâs Transformation Programme.
Her research interests are in the areas of mathematical modelling and optimisation. Her research include those on vehicle routing problems, emergency medical services particularly on ambulance routing and ambulance location and relocation, cross docking management, diet plan optimisation, airport revenue optimisation, vehicle scheduling and portfolio investment. She has also published widely in international journals and conferences.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adibah Shuib is now the Acting President of the Management Science and Operations Research Society of Malaysia (MSORSM). Being a Council Member of the MSORSM since 2009, where she has held the position of Secretary, then the Vice President, has given her the opportunity to be involved with many companies and universities through many activities and also meeting with individuals of various career backgrounds in industries as well as the academia.
11:55 â 12:20 (Tuesday)
Dr. Mei Fong Chong
Professor, Faculty of Engineering
The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Professor Chong Mei Fong is actively engaged in both academic and industry as a leading researcher and practitioner. She is also a practising Professional Engineer registered with the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and a member of The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM). By committing her lifetime research in the area of renewable energy and wastewater treatment for a better environment, she has recorded her research findings in more that 60 journal publications including ISI-indexed journals, a book (LAP Lambert Acad. Publ.) and two book chapters (Woodhead Publishing Limited and Springer). Besides, her contributions have also been well recoginsed by various national and international bodies through several awards.
She is the founding chair and past chair for Women in Science Engineering and Technology (WinSET) working group. WinSET is a working set up at The University of Nottingham to promote gender equality and worklife balance within the campus. She is now the Executive Director of Nottingham Green Technologies S/B, a spinned off company of the University of Nottingham to commecialise green technologies.
12:20 â 12:45 (Tuesday)
OPEN
Session VII: PANEL SESSION (Room – Starhill 5)
Woman in Industry and Academia
2:30 â 3:45 pm (Wednesday)
Ms. Resh Plaha BSc (Hons), IoD, IRCA, ACQI
Crystal Quality UK Ltd
Ms. Resh Plaha sits on the UKâs Chartered Quality Institute ISO9001:2015 Review Panel which reports directly into the ISO Geneva Head Office, ISO Technical Committee 176: Quality Management and Quality Assurance. Resh is also a member of the International Register of Certificated Auditors (IRCA) Advisory Panel responsible for providing thought leadership on the development, promotion and publication of audit methodologies, auditor competencies, auditor training and continuous professional development. Resh is a registered Lead Auditor with IRCA and a Member of the Institute of Directors. She is Managing Director of Crystal Quality UK Ltd, a private company offering bespoke project management consultancy and training services to organisations seeking registration to international standards in Quality Management Systems, Environmental, Health and Safety Systems including Food Safety. Major clients include Mercedes-Benz UK Ltd; the Ministry of Defence; Food and Beverage suppliers to Marks and Spencer plc; Central and local UK Government; Aerospace and other capital goods manufacturing organisations. Resh has a wealth of industrial and management experience that spans over 30 years in Quality Management Systems, commencing in the Food Industry before joining SGS, the international leading certification company. She is a highly experienced trainer and international speaker having personally delivered numerous short public IRCA approved training courses to delegates worldwide. Resh has presented at international conferences, delivered entrepreneurial and quality training at Singapore Nanyang Technological University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and is a guest lecturer at Loughborough University, United Kingdom. She is a strong advocate of womenâs business roles in society and believes in leading by example.
Dr. Chan Chee-MingÂ
Associate Professor and Deputy Dean (Academic and Research)
Centre for Graduate Studies
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
Bio: Chee-Ming Chan is an Associate Professor with the Civil Engineering Technology Department, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. She is presently holding the office of Deputy Dean in Academic and Research at the Centre for Graduate Studies in the University. Her area of expertise includes geo-materials, engineering education and higher education improvement. More recently, Dr. Chanâs current work on dredged materials from Malaysian waters has gained momentum and support from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and Department of Marine, Malaysia. She is also involved in professional bodies, including the Society for Engineering Education Malaysia (SEEM), Malaysian Geosynthetics Society (MyIGS), Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), and is an education quality auditor for the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA). From 2009-11, Dr. Chan served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Port and Airport Research Institute (PARI), Japan.
Dr. Mei Fong Chong
Professor, Faculty of Engineering
The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Professor Chong Mei Fong is actively engaged in both academic and industry as a leading researcher and practitioner. She is also a practising Professional Engineer registered with the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and a member of The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM). By committing her lifetime research in the area of renewable energy and wastewater treatment for a better environment, she has recorded her research findings in more that 60 journal publications including ISI-indexed journals, a book (LAP Lambert Acad. Publ.) and two book chapters (Woodhead Publishing Limited and Springer). Besides, her contributions have also been well recoginsed by various national and international bodies through several awards.
She is the founding chair and past chair for Women in Science Engineering and Technology (WinSET) working group. WinSET is a working set up at The University of Nottingham to promote gender equality and worklife balance within the campus. She is now the Executive Director of Nottingham Green Technologies S/B, a spinned off company of the University of Nottingham to commecialise green technologies.
Prof. Christine Ennew
Provost, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
Pro Vice Chancellor and Professor of Marketing
University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
Selangor DE Malaysia
Christine Ennew is Provost and CEO of the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus and Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Nottingham. Christine graduated from Cambridge University and completed her PhD at Nottingham. She was appointed to lead UNMC in January 2013 and is responsible for the Nottinghamâs first international campus which is located to the south of Kuala Lumpur and is home to almost 5000 students and around 650 staff. She was previously Dean of Social Sciences and has been Pro Vice Chancellor since 2008. She serves on a number of advisory boards internationally and is the Universityâs Manager for the Universitas21 network.
Dr. Ilham Kissani
Assistant Professor of Engineering & Management Science Â
School of Science & Engineering
Al Akhawayn University
Ifrane, Morocco
Dr. Ilham Kissani is an assistant professor in the field of engineering management for the School of Science and Engineering at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. She has served as the main advisor and lead instructor for the undergraduate and MS programs in Engineering and Management Systems since 2010. She has helped create very close ties with the AUI School of Business Administration, which allows both schools to leverage our resources and deliver a greater diversity of courses to students, such as supply chain management and operations management. Her background is diverse and includes industrial experience as well as academic. Her degrees are from INSEA, Morocco (Engineer) and Université Laval, Canada (Master and Ph.D). She has worked with Royal Dutch Shell as a project manager and with Modellium Québec, where she consulted in logistics and supply chain issues. Additionally, Dr. Kissani contributes in research in supply chain management, planning, and operations research. She is a member of ASEM, IEEE, IEOM, IIE, INFORMS.
Dr. Stefanie Pillai
Dean and Associate Professor
Faculty of Languages & Linguistics
University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dr Pillai is an Associate Professor at the Department of English Language, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya (UM). Her main areas of research interest are the segmental and prosodic features of spoken Malaysian English, and the revitalization of Malacca Portuguese Creole or Cristang. Her initial work on the Creole was funded by, and has been archived in, the Endangered Languages Archive (http://elar.soas.ac.uk/deposit/0123). Dr. Pillai is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics. She was the Deputy Dean for Postgraduate Studies of the Faculty from August 2014, and previously headed the Universityâs Centre for Industrial Training and Relations, which later expanded to become the Centre for Community and Industry Relations.
 Session VIII: Woman in Industry and Academia (Room – Starhill 5)
Session Chair:Â
4:00 â 5:15 pm (Wednesday)
4:00 â 4:25 (Wednesday)
Ms. Priyadarshani Premarathne
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts
University of Peradeniya
Sri Lanka
ID 241Â Â Perception of female employees towards the Lean and work culture change in apparel industry in Sri Lanka
Sewwandi and H.D.P. Premarathne, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Morawaka and A.K. Kulatunga, Dept.of Production Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
4:25 â 4:50 (Wednesday)
ID 610Â Â Â Burn Accident related Injuries and Disabilities among the RMG Women Workers: A Case Study of Tazreen Garments Trazedy
Mahmmad Mahbub Alam Talikder
Accident Research Institute (ARI)
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
4:50 â 5:15 (Wednesday)
Dr. Stefanie Pillai
Dean and Associate Professor
Faculty of Languages & Linguistics
University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dr. Pillali is an Associate Professor at the Department of English Language, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya (UM). Her main areas of research interest are the segmental and prosodic features of spoken Malaysian English, and the revitalisation of Malacca Portuguese Creole or Cristang. His initial work on the Creole was funded by, and has been archived in the Endangered Languages Archive (http://elar.soas.ac.uk/deposit/0123). Dr. Pillali is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics. He was the Deputy Dean for Postgraduate Studies of the Faculty from August 2014, and previously headed the University’s Centre for Industrial Training and Relations, which later expanded to become the Centre for Community and Industry Relations.
For details, please contact Ms. Resh Plaha: resh@crystalquality.co.uk.