#INWED25 - At Össur, We are International, We are Diverse, and We Engineer
International Women in Engineering Day happens every year on 23 June to celebrate women in the engineering sector and encourage others to consider the profession as a career path. At Össur, we are international, we are a diverse team, and we have lots of great engineers.
In this post, two of our engineers, Brynja Ásgeirsdóttir, Product Designer in Bracing Solutions, and Högna Hringsdóttir, Technology Manager - Sockets & Vacuum Systems in Biomechanical Solutions discuss their roles in engineering.
What was your path to your current role?
Brynja Ásgeirsdóttir - I work at our head office in Reykjavik and have been here since 2018. I first joined as an intern in the Medical Office as part of my Bachelor’s degree programme at the University of Reykjavik. Following my internship, I transitioned into a role within the Process Management team. In 2019, I decided to continue with my studies and pursued a Master’s degree in Computational Neuroscience at the Technical University of Graz in Austria. After completing my degree in 2021, I was offered a position as a design engineer within the R&D Bracing team and have been here ever since.
Högna Hringsdóttir – I’m also based in Reykjavík and have worked for the company for 11 years now. I first joined in 2012 as an intern after completing my Bachelor’s degree, which led to a summer job and eventually a full-time position. In 2014, I moved to Gothenburg, Sweden, to attend Chalmers University of Technology for my Master’s in Biomedical Engineering. Since 2016, I’ve been back at Össur, working in the R&D department – first in the Liner team as a product designer, and now in the Sockets & Vacuum Systems team as a Technology Manager.
Why did you choose a career in engineering?
HH – Growing up, I was fascinated by Össur and the impact it was making on people’s lives, so I knew early on that I wanted to work here one day. Biomedical Engineering seemed like the perfect choice to make that dream come true. Plus, I was always good at science in school, so it felt like a natural fit for me.
BÁ – During my school years, I developed a strong interest in mathematics, physics, and biology, particularly subjects like biophysics. Therefore, when the time came to choose a university programme, Biomedical Engineering felt like a good fit. At that time, Össur had already caught my attention, and I saw this field of study as a solid foundation for a potential future career with the company.
What does Össur do well for its female engineers?
BÁ – Össur has been a very supportive employer, helping me progress my career and allowing me the maternity leave I needed, and I felt supported by my colleagues to take the necessary time off. Likewise, my partner who also works at Össur, received the same support for his extended paternity leave. It’s great to see that both women and men are equally supported, which really shows that Össur is a family-friendly workplace. Throughout my time here, I really haven’t experienced any difference in treatment compared to my male engineering colleagues.
HH – I’ve found Össur to be an inclusive and supportive company. We’re all treated equally, and everyone has a fair shot. In fact, I didn’t realise how different it could be at other companies until I spoke to friends. When I took maternity leave, rather than telling me what time off I was entitled to, my boss asked me how long I needed. I didn’t feel pressured to be back by a certain date. And just as Brynja’s partner works here, so does mine! He was able to take significant paternity leave, which was so beneficial to our family.
How can the profession attract more females?
HH - I believe the key to attracting more women to the profession is introducing it early on in the education system, and I think Icelandic schools do a great job of that. To be honest, I feel quite spoilt here in Iceland, I’ve never really considered these things. During my Bachelor’s programme, the gender ratio in Biomedical Engineering leaned in favour of women, although the broader engineering department had a fairly even gender split. On my Master’s programme in Sweden, however, the gender balance shifted, with more men than women.
BÁ – I think in Iceland at least, the universities are doing a great job of introducing technical and engineering subjects to girls in secondary schools through their outreach programmes, For example, I participated in one event organised by the University of Reykjavík, where girls from secondary schools were invited to spend a day engaging in a variety of engineering tasks, challenges, and competitions. I would like to see similar initiatives reach more girls outside of Iceland.
Do you work as part of a wider team or on individual projects?
BÁ – There’s great teamwork and knowledge sharing between my colleagues in the R&D Bracing team We also work closely with other departments across the company, as many projects involve cross-functional input from areas such as product management, quality centre, regulatory, medical office, and marketing.
HH - We work closely with various functions across the organisation, including commercial, and medical office. There’s also a lot of knowledge exchange between R&D teams within the Biomechanical department. Overall, we’re very cross-functional!