Next up in our ‘Employee Spotlight’ series, we speak to Helena Estorach who joined Xtrac eight months ago as a Graduate Design Analyst in the Gear Tech department.

So what does Helena do at Xtrac? “A key part of my role is the analysis of transmission systems and components using finite element analysis (FEA) and classical methods to ensure products meet their specification” Helena explained. “I help design and analyse gears, splines and bearings with respect to strength and durability to meet challenging packaging and duty cycle requirements”. And her favourite part of the job? “I love witnessing how the parts improve and change day-to-day as a result of the analysis we perform”.

Helena is certainly well qualified for the role, having received an MSc in Advanced Motorsport Engineering from Cranfield University, in addition to a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Polytechnical University of Catalonia. But what inspired her to pursue the career she has today? “When I was only 12 years old my secondary school technology teacher (Mr. Joan Serra) introduced me to motorsports and it became my passion from then on”.

When we asked Helena which of her career achievements she was most proud of, her response was “joining the Xtrac team and being able to participate in challenging projects” but if we open up the question to include her education, then we’d imagine a definite highlight would be winning the 2021 ‘Sir Jackie Stewart OBE’ prize in recognition of being the top performing student across the taught modules within the Advanced Motorsport Engineering MSc. What an achievement!