From the oil rigs of Colombia to MTA skills guru

Sami Ortiz has come a long way in a short space of time, somehow charting a pathway from the oil fields of Colombia to the Bayswater headquarters of the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA). Today, Sami is a familiar face to the MTA’s nationwide membership, while her roles as STEM Ambassador and TDI Challenge leader are proving vital in closing the manufacturing skills gap.

 A graduate in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad de América in Bogotá, Sami was drawn into Colombia’s burgeoning oil and gas industry as a chemical analyst, although it was a somewhat daunting prospect.

“I would say manufacturing in Colombia is around 80% male-dominated, but in the oil and gas it’s probably 99.9%,” she says. “However, I always received respect from my male colleagues and it was a great experience. I would often arrive and leave oil rigs by helicopter.”

To broaden her horizons in the oil and gas industry, Sami knew she’d have to learn English, subsequently departing for the UK in 2012. She decided to extend stay after identifying an opportunity to work as a chemical analyst in a small laboratory on the south coast. Three years later, an opening presented itself at the MTA.

“It appealed because I wanted to learn more about manufacturing and engineering. I joined the MTA in 2018 as Technology Executive, with the opportunity to travel the UK visiting members,” she says.

Since 2021, Sami has been the MTA’s Technology and Skills Manager, covering industry standards and participating in industry committees.

“The MTA really supported my development, sending me on courses at the BSI Training Academy and Cranfield University. It means I now sit on various industry committees.”

Sami has also been a STEM Ambassador since 2023, delivering presentations at schools and colleges, and recounting her own remarkable STEM journey. For the past four years she’s been heading-up the MTA’s TDI Challenge, a STEM-based competition for 14-19 year-olds. Thanks to her efforts, the TDI Challenge is now bigger than ever and will this year extend its reach to Scotland for the first time.

“I simply love children,” she says. “The TDI Challenge is my opportunity to give a little back and generate interest in UK industry among youngsters.”