True Edge Tuesday with Clara Benavides-Clark
Clara transformed ambiguity into action—creating space for hands-on exploration, spontaneous collaboration, and breakthrough thinking. Through her vision and dedication, she has empowered other women engineers to step forward, showcase their work, and shape SharkNinja’s innovation pipeline.
By building communities across offices and departments, we create relationships that help move projects forward—sharing skills and support beyond just work."
Outrageously Extraordinary in Action
As co-leader of the WELead (Women in Engineering) ERG in London, Clara has made it her mission to elevate visibility for women in engineering and drive meaningful impact across SharkNinja and beyond. One of her most impactful initiatives was the Innovation Review & Walk Around—a bold, high-energy event that began as an ambitious idea and became a showcase of WELead-led projects. Clara brought the entire office together to engage in real-time problem solving for the 2026 roadmap, rallying teams to experiment, exchange ideas on the fly, and tackle challenges head-on with creativity and purpose.
But she didn’t stop there.
Clara went beyond the walls of SharkNinja with the Women Who Innovate event, inviting external thought leaders into the Battersea office and opening a two-way exchange of ideas between our team and the local community. It was a masterclass in what OE looks like in practice—fostering growth, insight, and connection.
Her commitment to innovation extends beyond the office and into the classroom—empowering the next generation of engineers at Lillian Baylis School through career talks and an interactive design challenge at the Battersea office, where students developed creative solutions to reduce food waste in school cafeterias. Clara is turning curiosity into career momentum—showing young minds what’s possible through the power of engineering and imagination.
Through it all, Clara’s proving that with purpose, persistence, and a relentless pursuit of better, anything is possible.
What we often perceive as 'confidence' is really just a collection of practiced behaviors. You may not always feel comfortable acting on them but practicing these creates the kind of confidence expected in the room."
Hear from Clara
What does it mean to be Outrageously Extraordinary (OE)?
ERGs are a great opportunity to ‘win as a team.’ By building communities across offices and across departments, we create relationships that can help move projects forward by reaching out to share skills with someone who you are getting to know in a not specifically work related.
True Edge is described as “a key principle of the OE mindset, combining vigilance, innovative insight, and strategic solutions to create a competitive advantage that is exceptionally hard to replicate.”
What’s your True Edge, or what are you working to build?
My True Edge is building visibility where it’s often overlooked—especially for junior women in engineering. One example was our International Women’s Day celebration, which we designed specifically to spotlight the incredible junior talent in our London teams.
For women entering male-dominated spaces, my advice is this: what we often perceive as ‘confidence’ is really just a collection of practiced behaviors. You may not always feel comfortable acting on them, but you can practice them—and in doing so, create the kind of confidence that’s often expected in the room.
Can you share examples of how you live OE?
The theme for International Women’s Day this year was ‘Accelerating Action.’ To celebrate this, we got the whole London engineering team to take part in a walk around, where teams presented key problems with 2026 projects and the groups brainstormed solutions and concepts. This was an excellent opportunity for junior members to present out to leadership and have visibility from a wider team.
What makes working at SharkNinja special?
The people and sense of community in the Battersea office. The excitement to create and build!
Please join us in congratulating Clara for being this week's True Edge Tuesday!
About True Edge Tuesday
At SharkNinja, we strive for the outrageously extraordinary in everything we do, driven by our True Edge – the super skills that set us apart. This cornerstone of the outrageously extraordinary (OE) mindset harnesses innovative insight and strategic solutions to create a competitive advantage, empowering us to positively impact people’s lives every day.
True Edge Tuesday celebrates team members who go above and beyond, showcasing what it means to reject the status quo and embrace the extraordinary.
