ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland has bolstered its research and development department with the appointment of Mariam Tabarik as Product Innovation Engineer within the Door Group.

Tabarik began her journey with ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions in 2022 as a Research and Development Intern. Originally from Pakistan, she had been studying for her master’s degree in Italy, before becoming aware of the internship in Lisburn.

Tabarik successfully applied, and in a short period she had made such an impression that she was made a full-time Product Innovation Engineer.

Tabarik’s role is to push forward with innovation and help bring products to life. She’s involved in the technical aspects of product development, as well as managing logistics, testing, certification, and audits. She is currently working on a number of innovation projects that have the potential to step change the industry in a positive way.

Tabarik said: “One of my greatest strengths is my ability to do extensive research. I will go above and beyond and look at all aspects from every perspective – especially from an engineering point of view.”

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“I have a technical mindset and pay attention to the finer details of a project. Because I’m very thorough with the work that I do, you could probably ask me anything about a product that I’m working on, and I’ll be able to give you an in-depth answer that goes much further than the surface information.

“I’m also a bit of a workaholic and I have a thirst for knowledge – I want to prove to myself that I can truly innovate.”

Tabarik was very keen to work for Opening Solutions as ASSA ABLOY is a renowned and respected global brand, but another aspect that has made her so happy in her role is the friendly culture of the business.

She explains: “The people I work with are so nice – they are very supportive, and I am also given lots of freedom. My colleagues are extremely helpful and I enjoy the company culture, everyone is very generous and accommodating.”

As a woman in engineering, Mariam wants to inspire other women into similar roles within the industry: “Females are in the minority in the manufacturing side of engineering, and I would like to see more representation and better ways to encourage women into these kind of roles.

“If I can be influential in this sense then it would be one of the greatest achievements of my life, as I want to see women – especially women of colour and from my part of the world – get into more male-dominated industries.”

Looking towards her future with Opening Solutions, Tabarik has her eye on eventually becoming one of the first females in a Head of Innovation role for the business.

“I would love to stay on the technical side of operations and build a profile for myself, while getting new patents and launching innovative products into the market.

“The culture here is very unique and you can work your way up – if you put in the effort, the company really recognises this and appreciates the hard work. People sometimes think that women cannot bring as much to the table, but I want to break that stereotype and prove that we are equally capable – if not more.”

ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland, Door Group
Door Group, a unit of ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland is a leading manufacturer of high-performance steel and timber doors, tailor made to individual project requirements from its Powershield, Prima, Safeguard and SMARTec ranges. We provide a specification, manufacture, installation and maintenance solution for architects, specifiers and contractors working across a range of markets.