Meet Nancy
Nancy Bakhaty has never believed that people should be confined to a single definition. She is an engineer, community leader, mentor, and event host, but none of those titles fully capture the person behind them. What has guided her throughout her journey is a desire to keep learning while helping others grow. She has built a career that combines technical expertise with human connection, proving that engineering and empathy can thrive together. Today, she continues to create opportunities for women in technology while encouraging others to embrace curiosity, resilience, and lifelong learning.
Building More Than Machines
Some people spend years trying to discover where they belong. Nancy Bakhaty chose a different path. Instead of fitting herself into a single discipline, she wanted to understand how different worlds connect. Long before she entered the workplace, she had already begun asking a question that would shape every decision she made. What kind of engineer did she truly want to become?
Her answer was never simple. Rather than limiting herself to one specialisation, she imagined becoming an engineer who could see the bigger picture. She wanted to understand how systems worked together and how innovation emerged when different fields intersected. That curiosity eventually led her to Mechatronics Engineering, a discipline that reflected her belief that meaningful solutions rarely exist in isolation.
For Nancy, engineering was never only about calculations or technology. It was about building something useful, solving problems that mattered, and creating ideas that could improve people’s lives. Mathematics and physics had fascinated her from a young age, making engineering feel like a natural direction. At the same time, she understood that technical knowledge alone would never define the kind of impact she hoped to have.
Growing up as an Egyptian woman, she found inspiration in people who had broken barriers before her. Nobel Prize winner Ahmed Zewail became an important example of what was possible. His achievements reminded her that talent and determination could overcome assumptions about nationality, gender, or circumstance. His story quietly reinforced her belief that she could build a meaningful future beyond the limitations others might expect.
That belief carried her through university and into industry. During her year in industry at Atkins, she worked as a digital consultant before joining Durridge UK as a service technician and electronics engineer after graduation. Every new experience expanded her understanding of engineering while strengthening her desire to contribute beyond technical work.
Choosing Both Logic and Leadership
As Nancy’s career developed, she noticed a stereotype that appeared again and again. Engineers were often described as highly knowledgeable but lacking communication skills or emotional intelligence. It was a narrative she heard repeatedly, and one that never reflected the people she knew or the person she wanted to become.
Instead of accepting that assumption, she quietly challenged it through her actions.
While working full time as an engineer, she also became the lead organiser and event host for Sheffield Women in Tech. Managing both responsibilities demanded discipline, resilience, and confidence, but it also allowed her to demonstrate that technical excellence and strong interpersonal skills were not opposing qualities.
She recalls,
“I knew that I could be both: someone who is knowledgeable and has professional skills in addition to emotional intelligence.”
That belief became more than a personal goal. It became the foundation of her leadership style. She refused to choose between engineering and community building because, to her, both required listening, creativity, and the willingness to solve problems.
The experience reshaped how she saw herself. She realised that visibility did not weaken her identity as an engineer. Instead, it allowed her to inspire others who had never seen someone balancing technical expertise with public leadership.
Learning to Walk Into the Unknown
Every meaningful opportunity begins with uncertainty, and Nancy has faced plenty of moments where fear could easily have stopped her.
She openly admits that stepping into unfamiliar situations has always been one of her greatest challenges. Whether it involved leading a new project, starting a conversation, or accepting responsibilities she had never handled before, the unknown often felt intimidating.
Rather than waiting until she felt completely confident, she developed a process that helped her move forward anyway. She researched, observed, listened carefully, and gave herself permission to begin as a learner instead of expecting immediate perfection.
That mindset became especially important when Sheffield Women in Tech needed new leadership.
After nearly two years of inactivity during the pandemic, the long standing community faced an uncertain future. Nancy accepted the responsibility of reviving it in October 2025 despite having no previous experience running community events on that scale.
Instead of trying to recreate everything at once, she chose a simpler approach. She reached out to the original founders, asked thoughtful questions, and began with small networking events. The first gatherings focused on creating comfortable spaces where women could reconnect after work. Each successful event built confidence for the next one. Attendance grew, larger venues became necessary, guest speakers generously contributed by sharing their knowledge and experiences, and the community gradually regained its momentum.
Those early victories reinforced an important lesson. Progress often comes from small consistent steps rather than dramatic leaps. Courage is rarely the absence of fear. More often, it is the decision to keep moving despite it.
Nancy also recognised another challenge that many professionals quietly experience. Opportunities are not always waiting to be discovered.
Instead of expecting someone else to open doors, she learned to create them herself. She initiated conversations, proposed collaborations, and looked for ways to build value for everyone involved. Her faith also became a source of strength throughout that journey, helping her remain patient while trusting that consistent effort would eventually lead her where she needed to be.
Creating Spaces Where Women Feel They Belong
For Nancy, Sheffield Women in Tech represents something much larger than a series of networking events.
The community exists because many women still struggle to find spaces where they feel genuinely welcomed, respected, and heard. Rather than focusing solely on technical discussions, the organisation encourages conversations about leadership, emotional intelligence, workplace challenges, and personal growth.
She believes professional success becomes more sustainable when people have supportive communities around them.
The monthly events bring together women from different backgrounds, career stages, and technical disciplines. Some attend to expand their knowledge. Others come simply to meet people who understand their experiences. Regardless of why they arrive, they leave with new relationships and renewed confidence.
Nancy explains,
“We know that we have created a community where women can feel safe, seen, heard, respected and above all, no competition between us as women.”
Perhaps one of the most remarkable aspects of the initiative is that its events remain free. The purpose has never been financial success. Instead, the focus remains on removing barriers so that anyone interested in technology can participate, learn, and contribute.
She believes communities become stronger when people are willing to invest their time in one another without expecting immediate returns. Those connections often lead to new ideas, collaborations, and opportunities that benefit an entire city.
Mentorship as a Way of Giving Back
Nancy’s commitment to helping others naturally led her toward mentoring.
Although she considers herself a lifelong learner, she also recognises that every experience carries lessons worth sharing. Throughout her career she has benefited from exceptional mentors who demonstrated the importance of leading through actions rather than words.
Their influence shaped how she now supports others.
She understands that mentoring is not about providing every answer. Instead, it involves asking thoughtful questions, encouraging reflection, and helping people recognise strengths they may not yet see in themselves.
Watching others grow has become one of the most meaningful measures of success in her own life.
She does not define achievement by numbers, titles, or public recognition. Instead, she looks for evidence that her work has created positive change, whether through an individual gaining confidence, a community becoming stronger, or a project making someone’s life a little better.
That perspective reflects the values she carries into every role she accepts. She wants her work to leave people feeling more capable than they did before they met her.
Expanding Her Voice
As her professional journey continues, Nancy is preparing for another chapter.
She has begun building her personal brand through a portfolio website, public speaking, and the development of her own podcast. These projects are not about personal recognition. They are an extension of the same mission that has guided her throughout her career.
She wants to make knowledge more accessible, encourage meaningful conversations, and inspire others to step beyond the boundaries they place on themselves.
Her vision is rooted in awareness. She believes curiosity is one of the most valuable skills anyone can develop because awareness creates confidence, creativity, and better decision making. Whether someone learns through books, conversations, podcasts, conferences, or lived experiences, every lesson expands the way they see the world.
She also hopes more people will stop waiting until they feel completely ready before pursuing opportunities. Growth rarely happens inside familiar routines. It begins when people allow themselves to experience uncertainty and trust that they can learn along the way.
A Life Guided by Purpose
Nancy Bakhaty’s story is ultimately about much more than engineering. It is about refusing to accept narrow definitions of success and choosing instead to build a life where knowledge, leadership, compassion, and service exist together. Every challenge she has faced has strengthened her belief that resilience is developed through action, not comfort.
She continues to show that meaningful leadership is not measured by status or visibility alone. It is measured by the people who leave stronger because someone believed in them, created space for them, or simply reminded them that they belonged. Through every project, every mentoring conversation, and every Sheffield Women in Tech gathering, she is quietly building exactly that kind of legacy.
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