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) More information, worksheets and other resources for the undergraduate mathematics curriculum: www.beingamathematician.org