Emily Blanch

Tell us a bit about yourself – What is your current role? What other roles/areas have you worked in?

Hi, I’m Em and I’m a Design Manager in Mask Product Development at ResMed. Before moving into design management I worked as an engineer in mask PD. I’ve also worked in design consultancy working on a variety of different products (medical, consumer, industrial etc) and other areas of ResMed (ventilation PD and device V&V).

As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?

Hmm probably a lot of things. But the main ones I think were working for LEGO, designing Ferraris and being a professional soccer player (doesn’t everyone think they can be a professional sports star at one time or another).

Were you always destined for a STEM career?

I think so, I had quite the LEGO collection as a kid and when I was about 4 I told my parents I thought the Playmobil caravan we had was too big for the car that was meant to be towing it so I think my engineering brain was always there.

What is your favourite part of your job?

Seeing the work we do improve people’s lives. I love talking to people and hearing how CPAP has been able to improve their health, save their marriage, give them the energy to play with their kids again. But I also love when they tell me what could be improved – we know CPAP isn’t perfect but we’ll keep pushing to get there.

Where / how do you see STEM having the biggest impact in the future?

Wow – where to start. If I had to pick 1 I’d have to say helping us turn the tide on our impact on the environment. With new materials, processes and digitisation we should be able to start reducing our impact and maybe even working towards improving the environment.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Love a bit of sport – I’ll give anything with a bat or ball a go. Getting off the grid; going four-wheel driving and finding some beautiful and remote camp sites just to ourselves. And catching up with family and friends for a meal or drink and some laughs.

What is something you know now that you wish you could tell your younger self?

At work there is never a stupid question. Sometimes the best creations come from the most unusual initial ideas, so try that ‘crazy’ idea or ask that ‘stupid’ question!

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Early bird, but I think like most people a night owl when I was at uni

Would you rather have a completely automated home or a self-driving car?

Automated home; I quite liking driving but I don’t like washing the dishes or cleaning the bathroom (but who does)

Would you rather go 500 years into the future or 500 years into the past?

I think 500 years into the future. We have a decent idea of what happened in the past through historical records but no idea what lays ahead. It would be so interesting to travel forward and see how the world has developed, hopefully for the better and the problems and issues of today have been eradicated.