Name: Zainab Adigun
Job Title: Senior Structural Engineer and AFBE-UK Schools Making Engineering Hot
Location: London, United Kingdom
 
When did you realise that a career in engineering was right for you? Was there a particular moment in your life?

Growing up, I have always been quite intrigued in how things work, I remember my mum always saying if something can’t speak it cannot be smarter than you. That stuck with me as it made me always want to fix things around the house which includes changing a plug socket and getting electrocuted.
 
I was also really keen on playing outdoors and one day I caught myself staring at my 16-storey tower block which was one of 6 large concrete frame blocks on the council estate I grew up on. I remember saying to myself, how do these things stand up with no support and not even moving…I was intrigued.
 
Coupled with always wanting to fix things and being really interested in Maths and Science, that sparked the idea in my mind that I wanted to become an engineer. I don’t think at that point I completely understood what an engineer was and even what type of engineer I wanted to be. I just knew it would be fun and it matched my skills set (I’m not a big fan of writing)
 
Having the opportunity to do a BTEC first engineering course in year 10 changed the trajectory of my career because it further sparked my interest in engineering, but at that point, I still didn’t know which type of engineering I wanted to do.
 
When I was choosing my A-levels I knew I was going to study civil engineering, but it was at the point I was offered a scholarship to do a master's in structural engineering that I decided that I wanted to be a structural engineer.
 
What does an average day look like for you?

I manage a small engineering team developing and delivering engineering solutions for our clients. 

I am responsible for undertaking structural design and analysis and collaborating with the wider design team coordinating, managing, delegating and implementing structural designs with a range of building requirements.

How did you get into this career? What qualifications did you get?

I had to study Physics and Maths at A-Levels. I studied Civil Engineering at university for my undergraduate degree and then went on to do an MSc in Structural Engineering.
 
Did you face any challenges with your career decision as a woman engineer?

The main challenge was being asked why I wanted to pursue this career as it is a male-dominated field. I didn’t let that discourage me, it just made me want it even more.
 
What advice would you give to young girls considering a career in engineering?

You can do it! Do not ever let someone's perception of what the world looks like change yours. It's not as scary as it looks and it's super fun.

Now I can even match my love for acting with my career, as I have featured on science documentaries on channels such as National Geographic.
 
Do you have any standout memories/funny/interesting stories from your career as an engineer?

I remember, walking into first engineering class where I was the only female and it was very intimidating but I had to remind myself that my gender doesn’t matter, the important thing was that I was there to learn.

Kate’s route to her role as Commissioning Manager started with her love for Lego as a child. Her fascination with building things (after taking them apart), coupled with a keen interest in environmental matters, led her to pursue a science-based degree followed by a Master’s in environmental studies. 

 

Justine is an engineer for ISS, working as part of the team supporting schools in the City of London. Having started her career in hospitality, she decided to retrain as an engineer

 

Louise Beale is Technical Director in the Land Quality and Remediation Team at SLR Consulting Limited. A role model for women in engineering, Louise shares her story, from wandering the Shropshire hills exploring old mines, to championing women in leadership.

The Inspiration for Becoming an Engineer

Louise grew up on a farm in the countryside, so always liked working outdoors. Her favourite subject at school was geography and she’d hoped to follow that subject through to university but didn’t get the A-Levels she wanted. Instead, she chose to study Geology and Geography.

“I absolutely loved my degree. Being around the sort of people who were motivated by the same things I was”, she said.

“I got a job after my degree at an environmental consultancy, and I spent all summer wandering around the hills of Shropshire looking for old mine entrances. And I thought this is this is what I want to do.”

Heading Back to University

Encouraged by colleagues during her summer consultancy job, Louise returned to university to complete a Masters in Geochemistry.

“My Masters gave me another year of experience, another year being out in the field and lots of opportunities to learn. I think a Masters demonstrates your credentials, that you can write reports, and you can do the analytical processes. I definitely think it is worthwhile.”

Straight after obtaining her Masters, Louise attended a Careers Fair and landed a job at an environmental consultancy. This started her on a career path working in contaminated land assessment that she’s followed for nearly 30 years.

Unearthing New Skills and Passions

Working in contaminated land assessment involves collaborating with clients who have a piece of land or a site they want to buy or develop.

“You start by knowing nothing about that piece of dirty derelict land. It’s really grotty, but you do the investigations, you research its history, you look at the potential for contamination, you take samples, and you analyse the data.

“And ultimately, you determine what the problems are and what needs to be done to bring it back to being a safe and beneficial space.

“I really love that process and the feeling that I’m helping to improve the environment”.

Early Inspiration

Louise was lucky enough to start her career in a supportive environment where everyone “mucked in together”.

During her second job, following a move to London in 1998, she continued to find role models and someone whom she refers to as “my best boss ever”.

“He had an excellent attitude and was all about doing the right thing, doing it well, and enjoying your work while you did it. He really motivated and encouraged us to be one big team. I think everything I know about leading and managing people, l learned from him.”

“And I was working with a lot of female engineers who were my grade and level of experience. Our team was 50/50 male to female split and we just kept growing as a team because it was such a great place to work.”

Breaking Glass Ceilings

When Louise’s manager and mentor left his role, she decided to apply for it in a job share arrangement with a female engineer colleague. She’d had children by that point and had returned to work three days a week.

“There were a lot of us working part-time and the company made it happen around us. It was still very possible to do the site work and the office work around our working hours.”

Louise and her job share partner were offered the role, which was the first time the company had appointed a job share to lead a team.

“It worked brilliantly. We complemented each other so well – we were better than the sum of our parts. I’m a lot better in the mornings, she was better in the evenings. I’m more ‘big picture’, while she had a lot more attention to detail.”

Louise believes that having a family means you learn to work differently. In her experience, before you have children, you focus on whatever hours it takes to get the job done. Whereas afterwards, you have to leave at a certain point in the day, so you become much more efficient.

A New Direction

Louise’s career changed when her company was acquired by another. At nearly 20 years into her career, she thought she was on an ongoing trajectory where she’d be moving up the ladder and taking on more and more senior positions.

“I think that was the first realisation I had that it wasn't as straightforward as that,” she said.

“I was applying for a promotion, along with a couple of male colleagues. When they got it and I didn't, I was told it was because I didn't have enough hours in the office. So I was encouraged to increase my days.

“Not long after that I moved on from that company to the company I am at now.”

Managing Menopause

It was around this time Louise became perimenopausal.

"I cannot believe the impact that it has had on my life in the last two years.”
Louise experienced around 10-12 different symptoms but attributed each to something else in her life. A stressful project, not stretching properly after a run. But poor sleep, anxiety, not being able to multi-task anymore, and aches and pains in her body were taking a toll.

“I got to the point where I lost quite a lot of confidence in myself. I remember I was going into a meeting with a lot of my peers who were all male. And I was scared about saying something stupid. I thought they could all see through me and think that I didn't actually know how to do my job anymore.”

A colleague suggested she speak to another woman in the company who was having similar experiences. Following her advice, Louise decided to speak to a few of her male colleagues about how she was feeling. It was amazing, and she suddenly felt she had permission to be open about it.

Overcoming a Career Plateau

Louise acknowledges there is a correlation between the lack of women in leadership roles and menopause, which she has observed from her own experiences.

“I just thought, do I want to do a role and take on extra stress and responsibility? Or do I just reduce my hours, do my job and go home again?” she said.

“I was at the point where I was seriously considering asking for a reduction in hours and accepting this was a this was as good as it was going to get.”

It was only through talking to other people that Louise realised she could get help and there was support available. She believes a lot has changed for the better over the last few years, with more people being open on social media about the impact of menopause.

Her company has embraced this trend and started initiatives such as menopause awareness training for all staff, and management training for supervisors.

“It’s changing and I would love that to be our legacy. People come to our stage in their careers and don’t even have this blip. They recognise early what it is, that there is support in place and not have to think it’s the end of their careers.”

“And what a win that would be — all of these women 20 or 30 years into their careers, staying in the business and moving into a leadership role. With all of that empathy and awareness.”

What’s Next for Louise?

After starting HRT, Louise got her confidence back and applied for the Deputy Chair of the Specialist in Land Condition (SiLC) Professional and Technical Panel. She got it!
“SiLC has been around for more than 20 years, but it's historically championed by a lot of senior men in our industry. So when I joined, the current incumbent and I decided we wanted to work hard to increase diversity within SiLC.

“We now have an EDI subcommittee who look at ways to improve diversity within our network, increase membership and demonstrate more value of being a SiLC.”

Interested to learn more about opportunities for female Engineers in the UK? Contact our teamof specialists at Alexander Associates and we’ll connect you with the industry’s best engineering roles. For more inspiring stories on women in engineering, read our articles https://www.alexander-assoc.co.uk/women-in-engineering.

As a senior leader within SLR Consulting, Louise has enjoyed a successful career in a highly technical field and is now a champion of women in the workplace, in both early-stage career, and later in life when other challenges present themselves!
 

Sharon is an accomplished engineering contractor and is the director of Ashron Consulting, a business she established after moving into engineering contracting. 

Danny is a true diversity champion and a firm believer in supporting others to achieve their full potential in life. 

Pamela is Key Account Portfolio Director for ISS Technical Services and oversees a broad range of services supplied mainly to the UK banking sector. After starting her career as an apprentice, she proved herself ‘on the tools’ working predominantly in a male-dominated environment as a hands-on engineer. 

A well-respected and highly sought-after Engineering Contractor, Sharon Walmsley, talks to Ruth Parker, about her early days and the career path she has carved in engineering after sitting her A-Levels.

Sharon speaks to us candidly about the challenges for women in engineering, the roles available, and why the industry is a great option for anyone who wants to be a part of it.

Making her mark in Engineering

After receiving my A-Level marks, I saw a job advertised for Fox’s Biscuits. I was just 18 years old at a time when the factory was very traditional in its genetic makeup. It was mostly males doing the engineering and mechanical work, while women generally worked on the factory floor.

I didn’t see engineering as a career then, and I’m not sure I do now – it is more of a vocation that I love to be a part of. I found it quite challenging at times, and extremely rewarding. No day is the same, particularly when you’re working on a project. It is the job I love to do.

Fox’s Biscuits gave me an opportunity to train, and learn the manual skills on the job, following on to complete a three years at college to learn the theoretical componentry of engineering.

Moving onto Water and Electrical Engineering

I spent three years at Fox’s and then moved on to Aughton Automation to work in the water industry with Northwest Water now United Utilities in Birchwood. I thrived learning about the world of water and building new water treatment works, and I worked predominantly in this sector.

I enjoyed this time and learning the core discipline of electrical with MCC designs, electrical designs, PLC software, and everything else. I was fortunate to have a lot of people I could learn from, and work with some great engineers. We were using new technology and, most significantly, our project was the first to use this new tech for Northwest Water. It was the 1990's and I had a big desktop computer for running the cable calculation software and we had agreed with the client to use this software on the proviso that we could do a percentage of calculations manually to verify it.

A natural progression into Project Management

It was a natural progression into project management with more people giving me responsibility. If you take the lead in these roles you can have a lot more say, influence and control over the outcomes of the project. I could then concentrate on the end product and outputs.

I think I would be lying to myself if I said I didn’t come across people who found it difficult to work with a woman in engineering and project management. But I have worked for 30 years in the construction and water industry. In that time, I have been fortunate to have only dealt with a handful of people who made me feel that way. Maybe it is my strong-willed personality but I am not afraid of the job, and what we have to achieve.

Women in Engineering in the UK

If I am going to take a view, I think in the UK, we are not championing women in the industry as much as other countries do. But when I was working in London on the Lee Tunnel with international parties involvement – with French and Spanish parent companies – women were seen as equals and would take on jobs as they came, just like men. That project had a huge amount of women involved in many different roles and levels.

From my perspective, working with foreign companies and people, there has been more equality shown and more women in the industry seen as equals. The UK doesn’t seem to be as progressive or focused on growing the roles of women in the industry as much as some of European counterparts.

I remember a meeting I chaired while working on the Lee Tunnel project. There were seven people present, and of those, five were women. They held senior positions in heavy construction roles so it was an incredible project to be involved in. That is the one experience I can say I have had where women were prevalent and seen as important.

Apprenticeships as a Great Route into Engineering

An apprenticeship is a great avenue because you learn by doing the work without having to wait to experience it after studying. It could be a game-changer for industry growth in the UK and for neurodiverse minds who may have been labelled as not having Maths as a natural strength. Even though I now have a Masters degree, as an apprentice I worked harder because I saw the value in it, and how I could apply my learning whilst working and earning.

Hopefully with more companies offering apprenticeships, people will fall in love with engineering when they gain those crucial early experiences.

Career Pinnacles and Aspirations

I’ve had many pinnacle jobs in my career – and I’ve been lucky enough to learn from all of them.

And something I have learnt is this: If more people believe they are going to make a difference and not rely on a company to open the door for them, we’ll make more progress. You might have to knock on a few doors and get rejected a couple of times but eventually, someone is going to crack open a door for you to squeeze through. But we shouldn’t rely on others doing it for us. Just open the door yourself and then hold it open for others to follow.

When we are doing a job, we are representatives for others - female leaders in engineering and their respective fields who help other women to achieve the same.

Summary

At Alexander Associates, we believe anyone can have a place in the construction industry. We specialise in engineering recruitment and can help you with your next project or career path.

Contact ustoday to discuss engineering as the ‘it’ industry for you, and be inspired by more of our #ShesanEngineerblog series.

Each June, we celebrate International Women in Engineering Day here in the UK, recognising women's inspiring and ground-breaking work in this largely male-dominated field. Well, we firmly believe women in engineering should be celebrated always, so we recently spoke to Pamela Hardie, ISS’s Key Account Portfolio Director for Technical Services..

An ambitious powerhouse in her field, she worked her way up the engineering ladder from Apprentice to Regional Manager in just six years and has been with ISS for over two decades. Here she shares a little about her background, the challenges she’s faced along the way, and her hopes for future female engineers.

The Only Female Apprentice

Pamela encountered a fair amount of opposition to her desire to follow in the footsteps of her electrician father and grow her career in a technical field.

“I took technical studies at school, and I was actually told I shouldn't go ahead and learn a trade because I wasn't confident enough about the tools we were using in class. I was talked out of it for a more academic route, to be more like my sister. I ended up doing a lot of subjects like her and felt like I was sort of becoming a clone! She’s successful and has a degree, but I wanted to take a different route,” she says.
At 17, Pamela enrolled in the same apprenticeship at the same company as her brother.

“I was the only female on the tools in the company, and I was the only one on the college course as well. We had to stay away six weeks at a time at the college and it was pretty tough. But it was (also) a good time, and I made some real friends,” she smiles.

Pamela successfully completed her four-year apprenticeship, with plenty of support and encouragement from both her father and brother, even though she worried her sibling would “hate having his little sister in college” with him!
She remained with the same company and stayed ‘on the tools’ for a number of years before making a move. Throughout this time, she continued to be the only female working outside the office.

“I was really determined to prove everybody wrong. Many people thought I wouldn't be able to do it, that I'd quit in the first week or be on the tools for a month and I'd be off doing something else. I was a rebel - I just wanted to do something completely different and get in amongst a male industry and push the agenda.”

A Move Into Management

In speaking to Pamela, her ambition and determination is evident. This is reflected in what she did after working onsite.
“I used my apprenticeship as a stepping stone as I’d always wanted to become a contract manager, like my father. I wanted to be the first female contract manager, well, the first female everything within the company, really!” she laughs.

“I’d expressed an interest in becoming a manager and at the time, the woman that worked distributing the jobs went off sick leave. My manager asked me if I'd like to step in to get used to the office environment,” she explains.

“I found that really invaluable because I learned how the business worked, especially as I got to complete a lot of quotes and things like that. I used it as a springboard to keep moving up in the company.”

After being in that role for a year, the business underwent some changes and they were looking for managers to oversee employees. That was when Pamela landed her first management job.

In this role, she managed an all-male team, including the tradespeople she’d worked alongside while on the tools.

“Obviously there was one or two who wanted to write me off but overall, they were actually incredibly supportive. I built up a close relationship with many people, and they wanted to see me do well,” she explains.

But the contracts manager role wasn’t her end goal. After a year, she applied for the regional manager’s position and secured it successfully, once again the only woman at that level.

“That was a tough one to manage. I think many of my peers I’d worked alongside at the management level wanted the role for themselves and thought, as a man, they're more qualified than I am to get it.”

To cope with that, Pamela says she focused on doing her job as well as she could, aiming to manage as reasonably as possible. She was lucky to also have her manager as good support, as well as her father to ‘sound off to’.

Challenges Aplenty

Pamela is well used to being a lone woman, having been one at every stage of her apprenticeship and engineering career. And of course, with that comes some challenges.

During her apprenticeship she says, “It was just a group of young boys (and me). Every day I had doubts, thinking that I couldn't do it. I'd often go home frustrated because of my experiences.”

“But I did have my dad as a sounding board … he’d mentored other apprentices within the same business and I think he knew that I was as good, if not better than the others. It had nothing to do with gender … he always believed in me and pushed me on. My biggest reason for completing my apprenticeship was my father, honestly.”

Role models make a real difference, for as the saying goes, ‘seeing is believing’. But for Pamela, she had none, from lecturers to working onsite to upper management.

“I didn’t have any female mentors to look up to ... and it’s not something I thought about until I had children. When I had my two young girls, I thought, ‘No, I don't want them to struggle the way I did’.

And then of course there is the juggle of motherhood and work, as along with her twin daughters, she also has a son.

“Women take on most of the childcare duties, so many of the men I was working with would stay away all week and then go home at the weekends with everything done for them. But I was trying to run a house, look after kids and work full time. It was tough.”

“When I went off on maternity leave for four or five months to have my son, I came back and we’d changed over to ISS. It was a whole new company with completely different contracts to deal with. I found it hard to adjust to coming back to work. But I did have the support of a colleague who helped me through and brought me up to speed,” she says.

Pamela also had support at home, with her mum helping with childcare.
“I knew the kids were fine. I wasn't leaving them at nursery or with strangers, so I was lucky I had my mum. I was phoning her every 10 minutes the first day or so, though!” she laughs.

The second time she returned from a more extended maternity leave with her twins was more challenging.

“It gets tougher the older they get, (particularly) when I'm missing out on things like school plays, especially if I'm travelling. I try to be at as much as I can but you've got to sacrifice some things.”

Looking To The Future

Not content with her current achievements, Pamela wants to make a difference for the next generation of women in engineering.

“At the moment in mobile engineering, we've got about 250 engineers and two of them are women. Part of my role is looking at taking on women in apprenticeships to try and increase the diversity within the team,” she explains.

“ISS is focused on gender balance and improving it across the industry. I think they are leading the way with lots of great activity around returning to work from maternity leave and implementing a proper return-to-work process, as well as ‘keeping in touch days’, where you're coming into the office to get back into the swing of things.”

We hope you enjoyed learning about Pamela’s journey as a female engineer. You might also like to read Chelva Nava and KatParson’s stories, two more highly successful and inspiring UK female engineers.