KUALA LUMPUR: Later this year, a pioneering Malaysian woman will become the majority owner of SoPark Corporation, a leading US-based technological firm.
Rupa Shanmugam is the current president and COO of the company, which is western New York state’s largest electronics manufacturing service provider.
Her company offers manufacturers of medical devices and high-tech equipment with circuit board, electro-mechanical and custom cable assembly services; as well as design for manufacturing services.
In February, Rupa was awarded the Women in Leadership Award by the Buffalo Niagara Chapter of NYS Women, Inc in recognition of her leadership, enterprise and excellence in her profession.
The award also recognised her contribution in giving back to the Western New York community.
Rupa is making a name for herself a long, long way from home.
Raised in Kampar, Malaysia, Rupa attended a school where her father taught physics. She credits her father with inspiring her to pursue a career in electrical engineering.
To achieve her goal, she enrolled at the Federal Institute of Technology here, from which she graduated with a diploma in Electronic Engineering.
She said she was the only female in her class for three years.
Rupa then moved to Singapore where she was the only female technician at Thomson Consumer Electronics, Western Digital and then Carsem back in Malaysia.
Taking a break from work, she pursued further studies in Angola, Indiana, where she graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Trine University.
From there, she joined SoPark and began her climb up the corporate ladder.
“I was the only woman engineer there and later, manager.
"Through hard work, strong work ethics and having people not only believe in me but mentoring me, I advanced in various roles in manufacturing – from operator, technician, engineer and manager to now being the president/COO of SoPark Corporation,” Rupa told NYS Women, Inc.
But Rupa’s accomplishments don’t end there.
She serves on the United Way Boards of Directors and the Women United Advisory Board.
She is a member of the Employ Buffalo Executive Committee and Buffalo Niagara Partnership (BNP) Manufacturers Council Executive Committee.
She is also a committee member with the University at Buffalo (UB) Women, where she initiated a programme to create student employment opportunities at SoPark; and provide them with exposure to STEM by offering experiences in the electronics industry’s operations, production, technical applications, and engineering sectors.
Rupa was also instrumental in the formation of the first Western New York Chapter of Engineering World Health at UB.
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