“Headscarf-wearing women with a different mother tongue
can pursue strong careers in a ‘male’ sector equally well.”

Discover all our vacancies

Discover more stories

• Name: Mulija Sikira Lokvancic
• Age: 25
• Studies: Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (University of Sarajevo)
• Function: Project Engineer
• Hobbies: Running, hiking, traveling

The 25-year-old Mulija Sikira Lokvancic works as a Project Engineer at ITB. She supports the Project Manager on various technical installation projects. Specifically, her main responsibilities include technical drawing, lighting calculations and fire detector programming. In addition to preparing project plans, she also ensures that projects are completed within the required time, quality standards and budget. Therefore, she works closely with her permanent team, suppliers and customers.

Why did you want to join VINCI Energies as a Project Engineer?

Mulija: I was born in Bosnia-Herzegovina and recently moved to Belgium for the love of my life, shortly after graduating. When I came across the vacancy of VINCI Energies on LinkedIn, I was immediately interested: VINCI Energies is a company with a strong reputation in the sector and the job entails a lot of diversity while experience is not a must. I was scared during my job search as I had no work experience, was only learning Dutch for six months, wore a headscarf and would end up in a predominantly male sector. However, VINCI Energies reassured me to apply anyway, by focussing on my motivation and eagerness to learn. They were willing to immediately give me a chance and made sure I felt at home from the very first welcoming day. Moreover, I was able to learn a lot within the company in my first year. For example, I am involved in several interesting projects where experienced and patient colleagues continuously teach me how to apply new technologies and techniques. VINCI Energies also offers many other opportunities to develop yourself. For instance, I already followed several internal courses and workshops and plan to continue improving my technical skills by taking additional training courses in the future.

What message would you pass along to women who are afraid to enter the tech sector?

Mulija: My team consists of only men. Working together goes very well and I recognize myself in their direct approach. You immediately know when something can be done better or needs to be done differently. I always feel respected and notice that my opinion is appreciated. I am proud to work for a company that values diversity and inclusion. Moreover, as a female engineer, it is encouraging to see that more and more companies like VINCI Energies are actively pursuing a more equal representation of women in STEM-related functions and are committed to increasing opportunities for women. I am truly grateful for the opportunities I have been given at VINCI Energies to grow and contribute to this positive change. By participating in this campaign, I also want to inspire other girls and show that women with headscarves and a different mother tongue can equally well pursue strong careers in a traditionally male sector.

Who inspired you to choose a technical profession?

Mulija: I chose to pursue a technical profession mainly thanks to my father, who also works in the energy and installation sector. As a child, I always loved listening to the stories he told about his work, and I was fascinated by the technical aspects. As I got older, I developed a deeper interest in technology and engineering and decided that this was the career path I wanted to follow. My father remains a great inspiration to me and I hope to one day follow in his footsteps and achieve an executive level role where I lead my own team. My mother was also very supportive and encouraged me to become the independent woman I am today. I am proud to have parents who did not push their children in a certain stereotypical direction, but rather let them discover what they like themselves. I wish every girl could get the same opportunities.