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Sue Merchant

"An ability to empathise with the client"

One of a series of interviews with professional mathematicians

Sue Merchant is an independent management consultant. She is a past President of the Operational Research Society and Vice-President elect of the International Federation of OR Societies (IFORS). "Factors essential to survival as a working mum include a hugely supportive family, painstaking organisation and helpful bosses."

She talks about:

• her career in operational research (at time 0:10)
• how she describes herself professionally (1:17)
• the skills needed by mathematicians in her field (1:45)
• the characteristics of a mathematician (3:08)
• the credentials needed by a practitioner (3:35)
• the support available to operational research professionals (4:36)
• how she disseminates her work (5:40)
• working on her own and with others (7:06)
• obstacles she has faced in her career (8:07)
• the challenges faced in returning to work after maternity leave (9:02)
• role models (11:30)

Links

The OR Society

The International Federation of OR Societies (IFORS)

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