As a Woman in Project Management
Interview with Amanda Anders, PMP
Project Manager, Siemens Mobility
By Angelica Larios
International Correspondent
Mexico City, Mexico
About the Interviewee
Amanda Anders is currently a project manager for Siemens Mobility, a provider of transportation vehicles, systems and solutions. She is responsible for managing multi-million dollar budgets on company projects with some of the largest transit agencies in the country.
While she started work as a manufacturing engineer, she soon realized that she enjoyed working with, and leading teams on specific projects in her work. It was clear she was well-suited to this type of work and was encouraged to pursue a path specializing in project management. Having started in the energy sector, she soon found herself working in transportation, and made it a point to hone her skills while on the job, and in separate classes to become certified as a project manager.
Amanda got her PMP certification in 2018, and became a Project Manager at Siemens in September 2019, where she continues today as the youngest member of Siemens Mobility’s project management organization.
Amanda graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology. She is also a member of PMI and a member of the Tau Alpha Pi Engineering Society. She and her family reside in the greater Pittsburgh area in Pennsylvania, USA.
Interview
Amanda, thank you for accepting the invitation for this interview with PMWJ. Would you please share with our audience a little more about yourself?
Amanda Anders (Anders): I am 31 years old. I attended Penn State University and have a bachelor’s degree in electro-mechanical engineering technology. I have always had a passion for computer science and robotics. When first out of college, I worked for the power industry. After working in the power industry, I made the switch over to the transportation/rail industry. I have been in the rail industry for almost 6 years. My experience throughout my career has been a mix of Reliability, Safety, and Project Management. I am a wife and mom to 4 children, ages ranging from 11 years old to 4 years old.
Q1: Describe your journey as a project management professional.
Anders: I would describe my journey as prosperous and adventurous. Prosperous because since I started this journey it has continued to grow and flourish. Adventurous because every day is something new, sometimes exciting, and my even involve taking risks.
Q2: How did you start to get involved with project management?
Anders: My first position out of college is where I got my first taste of project management. I really did not know much about the role and career path. My manager, and really mentor, at the time mentioned the role to me and thought it would be a good route for me to take. I then explored what a PM role would look like by doing some personal research and attending a PMI meeting.
Q3: Why did you choose to become project management professional?
More…
To read entire interview, click here
How to cite this report: Larios, A. (2021). Interview with Amanda Anders, Siemens Mobility, PM World Journal, Vol. X, Issue V, May. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/pmwj105-May2021-Larios-Interview-with-Amanda-Anders.pdf
About the Interviewer
Angelica Larios
Mexico City, Mexico
Angelica Larios, MBA, PMP, is a project manager with more than 20 years of experience in implementing software projects related to business intelligence, planning and budgeting, and financial consolidation solutions based on software applications to support the business decision process. She is the owner of ALACONTEC, an I.T. consulting company founded in Latin America. She has held several professional positions in private and public organizations, such as the Health Ministry in Mexico as I.T. director, and as a business manager for several firms in Mexico.
She holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from National University of Mexico (UNAM) in addition to her studies in project management and her Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification, which have helped her to consolidate her career and have a better understanding of what businesses and projects need nowadays. She is a doctoral student in strategic leadership at Regent University, VA, USA; she is a PMI volunteer since 2007, starting in the local Mexico chapter, being Past President. At a global level, she has been part of the Chapter Membership Advisory Group (CMAG), the Board Volunteer Advisory Committee (BVAC), and the Ethical Membership Advisory Group (EMAG).
Angelica can be contacted at angelica.larios@gmail.com
To view other works by Angelica Larios, visit her author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/angelica-larios/
