Society of Women Engineers lauds Bechtel Six Sigma leader

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) on October 11 announced Siddika Demir as the recipient of SWE’s 2006 Emerging Leaders Award for demonstrated leadership in quality assurance.

Siddika Demir is manager of corporate services/Six Sigma for Bechtel Corporation. In this position, Demir sets Six Sigma strategies and goals for corporate service organizations both individually and collectively. She is responsible for the success of Six Sigma goals for five senior vice presidents; has oversight of 140 Six Sigma trained individuals in corporate services; and serves as the lead Six Sigma black belt for all corporate services, which has a staff of more than 350.

“Siddika Demir has shown extraordinary leadership in the industry of quality assurance,” says Jude Garzolini, president of the Society of Women Engineers. “Her leadership and commitment have driven significant savings for her organization.”

Prior to her Six Sigma black belt role, Demir contributed significantly to quality enhancement while working as a civil engineer for Bechtel. In this position, Demir made significant strides by spearheading the audit effort for a major project and business expenses.

Demir joined SWE in 1990 as a collegiate member at the University of Houston Student Section. Since then, she has served as coordinator for two national individual awards, Golden Gate section representative, and Houston Area Section president. She currently serves as Region A Governor. She is also the recipient of the SWE’s 2004 Distinguished New Engineer Award.

“Through Six Sigma, Demir is now leading the four corporate service organizations in improving the quality of services they deliver to their customers,” says Peggi S. Knox, vice president for Bechtel. “A successful black belt, she has applied her engineering knowledge and strong leadership skills to manage these four demanding organizations and help them improve their processes.”

Demir received her B.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of Houston and her Master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University.

The Emerging Leaders Awards honor women engineers who have demonstrated outstanding technical excellence as an individual resulting in significant accomplishments in the following areas: academia; manufacturing and construction; procurement/logistics; product research, design, and engineering; quality; safety, health and environment; and sales and marketing.

The 2006 Emerging Leaders Award will be formally presented October 13 at the Society of Women Engineers’ National Conference Achievement Award Banquet in Kansas City, Mo. The National Conference, “Women Blazing Technology Trails,” is being held at the Kansas City Convention Center on October 12-14. The more than 4,000 attendees include professionals from every discipline of the engineering profession and a large number of engineering students and educators.

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. For more information, visit www.swe.org or call 312-596-5223.