A list of the top 50 Women in Engineering has been published in the Daily Telegraph today for the first time to coincide with National Women in Engineering Day.
National Women in Engineering Day (#NWED2016) is now an International awareness campaign to raise the profile of women in engineering and focus attention on the amazing career opportunities available to girls in this exciting industry. It takes place annually on 23 June and in 2016 NWED is celebrated for the third year. It is coordinated by the Women’s Engineering Society and was established in 2014 to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the Society.
The list, compiled by the Telegraph in collaboration with the Women’s Engineering Society features the UK’s top influential female engineers chosen from almost 900 nominations.
Dawn Bonfield, Chief Executive of the Women’s Engineering Society who is also the founder of National Women in Engineering Day commented: "We had a very high response to this campaign and were hugely impressed with the entries. This list of amazing role models is a great way of raising the profile of our talented women engineers and making them more visible both within the industry and to the next generation.”
The list includes many familiar senior engineers’ names such as Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Naomi Climer, President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and Dame Judith Hackitt DBE, former Chair of the Health and Safety Executive and now Chair of EEF the Manufacturers’ Organisation.
It also, however, includes some names that may come as a surprise, including Steph McGovern from BBC Breakfast, a former engineer who continues to do a huge amount to encourage the next generation into engineering, and Chi Onwurah MP – the only female engineer in the House of Commons.
The candidates on the list represent the broad range of engineering roles available including industrialists from the traditional built environment, energy and transport sectors, but also including names from Hilton Worldwide, the Merlin entertainment group and many representatives from academia. The list also includes women who are no longer working as practicing engineers but are nevertheless still influential in the sector.
Judge Allan Cook CBE, Chairman of Atkins commented: “I was really impressed with the calibre, quality and quantity of the submissions. Reading through the entries it was incredibly exciting to see the breadth of talent we have in our engineering community.”
Brief biographies of each one of the 50 engineers on the list are featured in today's Telegraph.
The Top 50 Women in Engineering 2016
Roma Agrawal CEng, MIStructE, MIET, FRICS Structural Engineer, Interserve
Professor Helen Atkinson CBE, FREng Head of Department of Engineering, University of Leicester
Danella Bagnall Chief Product Engineer, Jaguar Land Rover
Faye Banks FIET, FCMI, FinstLm, CEng, Cmgr Head of Operations North East, National Grid
Alison Baptiste CEng, FICE, BEng, MSc, MCIWEM Director of Strategy and Investment, Flood and Coastal Risk Management, Environment Agency
Jayne Bryant FREng, CEng, FIET, FWES Engineering Director Defence Information, BAE Systems
Muffy Calder OBE, FRSE, FREng Vice-Principal and Head of College of Science and Engineering, University of Glasgow
Liv Carroll DIC, CGeol, FGS, FIMMM Chartered Geologist, Geological Society
Jacqueline Castle CEng, FIMechE, FRAeS Chief Engineer A330neo Wing, Airbus UK
Amanda Chessell CBE, FREng Distinguished Engineer, IBM
Naomi Climer FREng, CEng, FIET President, IET, Institution of Engineering and Technology
Susan Dio Chief Executive Officer, BP Shipping Limited
Dr Michèle Dix CBE, CEng, FICE, FCIHT, FCILT Managing Director, Crossrail 2, Transport for London (TfL)
Professor Dame Ann Dowling President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge
Elizabeth Eastaugh Global Head - Customer Experience, Expedia
Dawn Elson CEng, FICE, FIMechE, FRAeS, FWES Group Engineering Director, Merlin Entertainments Group
Jane Gartshore FInstR Director, Cool Concerns Ltd
Professor Lynn Gladden CBE, FRS, FREng Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge
Dr Paulina Bohdanowicz-Godfrey Director Energy and Environment, Hilton Worldwide
Dame Judith Hackitt CBE, FREng Chair, EEF
Professor Dame Wendy Hall DBE, FRS, FREng Director, Web Science Institute, University of Southampton
Eur Ing Louise Hardy CEng, FICE, CMgr, FCMI, FWES Non Executive Director, Sirius Minerals Plc
Professor Caroline Hargrove CEng, MIMechE Technical Director, McLaren Applied Technologies
Professor Karen Holford FREng, FWES, FLSW, CEng, FIMechE Pro Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff University
Ying Hu Manufacturing Systems Engineer, Rolls Royce Plc
Dame Sue Ion FREng, FRS Chair NIRAB, Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board
Lady Barbara Judge CBE Chairman Emeritus, UK Atomic Energy Authority
Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE, FREng Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Aston University
Ailie MacAdam FICE, MIChemE Managing Director, Europe and Africa, Infrastructure, Bechtel
Dr Cathy McClay, Head of Commercial, Electricity, National Grid
Steph McGovern Presenter, BBC Breakfast
Linda Miller PEng (USA) Senior Project Manager, Bechtel
Dervilla Mitchell CBE Director, Arup
Heidi Mottram OBE Chief Executive Officer, Northumbrian Water Group
Alison Nimmo CBE Chief Executive, The Crown Estate
Belinda Oldfield FICE, AMIoW General Manager, Scottish Water
Chi Onwurah MP, CEng, FIET, FCGI MP, UK Government
Isobel Pollock-Hulf OBE, CEng, Hon DSc, FIMechE, FCGI Master, Worshipful Company of Engineers
Dr Haifa Ross Head of School of Engineering, Solihull College and University Centre
Helen Samuels United Utilities
Dr Angela Seeney FEI, CEng, CEng, CPet Eng Director Technology, Supply Chain and Decommissioning, Oil & Gas Authority
Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, FEI Chief Executive, Renewable Energy Association
Jane Simpson Chief Engineer, Network Rail
Dana Skelley OBE Director of Asset Management, Transport for London
Rachel Skinner CEng, FICE, TPP, MCIHT Director, Development, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff
Dr Debbie Smith OBE, FIFE, CPhys, MInstP Managing Director, BRE Global
Vicky Stewart MIOA, MWED Associate Acoustic Consultant, Atkins
Professor Eleanor Stride Professor of Engineering Science, University of Oxford
Dr Alison Vincent Chief Technology Officer, Cisco International Ltd
Katherine Ward CEng, MICE Group Head, Offshore Wind, Atkins
Sponsors of the campaign were Scottish Power, Mars Petcare, Jaguar Land Rover, SEMTA, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and BAE Systems.
To celebrate National Women in Engineering Day RS Components has produced a new #RSVoices video focusing on Women in Engineering. This can be viewed below.