Women in STEM: Cari Westacott, bid manager

Cari Westacott is a bid manager. Specialising in cybersecurity consulting and managed services projects, she’s responsible for creating and overseeing Airbus Protect’s new business proposals for clients in all sectors. Read on to learn more about her role, and how to apply for bid manager jobs at Airbus Protect.
Can you briefly talk about your professional journey to date? 
After finishing my bachelor’s degree in law, I joined Airbus as a contractor for the commercial team working across cybersecurity programmes, consulting and managed services. I spent just over a year in this role as a commercial and contracts administrator. 

After, I took a year away from the company to complete my master’s in law and business, before returning as bid manager for managed services and consultancy in the UK. 

My current role revolves around developing proposals for new opportunities. Since the launch of Airbus Protect, I’ve been able to work transnationally, developing and maintaining our company-wide bid process.
What challenges did you face when entering the cyber industry?
Before joining Airbus I hadn’t previously worked in cybersecurity or obtained a ‘technical’ degree. I guess that makes me an atypical ‘woman in STEM’!

When I started my role at Airbus, I had to work hard to understand this new world, and figure out where my role fits within it. To do this, I asked – and [...]