What attracted you to study at King’s?
I was in the Royal Air Force (RAF). As part of the military training, I was selected to go on an advanced staff course. This was a full-time, year-long leadership programme and it was in partnership with King’s. I also did an MA in Defence Studies alongside this.
What’s your favourite memory of your time at King’s?
I found being able to spend time in the library captivating and inspiring. I remember researching my dissertation and having piles and piles of books. There was a real physicality about it. It was fulfilling in a way that searching on the internet isn't.
You’ve won our STEM accolade. How did your journey into engineering begin?
I always found scientific subjects straightforward. In science, something is or it isn’t. This led me to look for a degree that took those subjects further with good career prospects. Engineering fitted that requirement!
Your early engineering roles were in the RAF. What was it like?
The RAF was less than 5% female across all trades at the time, with even fewer female engineers. Dealing with that hugely male dominated culture was more demanding than the actual work. It was exciting and interesting, but I was constantly having to prove myself.
Because women often have better soft skills, some people forget that we have hard skills, too. We shouldn't have to prove that. It's wrong on so many levels. It was very draining.
You left the RAF after 23 years for managerial roles at Gatwick? What was that like?
On the day I turned up at the airport, the head of engineering had been moved sideways and my boss said, ‘You have a week to figure out if you want to apply for this higher-level job or not.’ Cue a frenetic week of figuring how out how a civil airport operated. The learning curve was pretty steep!
Senior roles at Merlin Entertainment and the National Grid followed…
Merlin is a huge company with more than 130 theme parks and attractions across 27 different countries. My job was to bring together a suite of engineering standards and practices that worked across their entire portfolio. One task at Chessington World of Adventures involved building a log flume that went over a tiger enclosure. My team had to find out how high tigers could jump so we could build a fence high enough to contain them.
I was brought into the National Grid to help drive £2.5 billion in cost reduction while also still being able to deliver the pathway to net zero. That role straddled two periods where the regulations and the price control were changing.
You were President of the Women’s Engineering Society. What did that involve?
The Women’s Engineering Society is a fabulous charity. I had the privilege of taking over in its centenary year. Alongside the many celebrations and events, there was a transformation for me to reset the charity onto a more secure footing with an up-to-date strategy. The Society also continued to support women in engineering to fulfil their potential and help the engineering industry to be inclusive.
You’re now the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Pure Data Centres Group. Can you tell us about that role?
Pure build and operate data centres. We’re a young company that grew significantly through the pandemic. We now have data centres in operation or construction globally. I first joined to set up the operational arm of the company when our first data centre was in construction in London. After a couple of years, I was promoted to CEO. I’m enjoying leading a company in this fast-paced and high-growth industry.
You’re an award-winning advocate for getting young girls into engineering and science. Can you tell us about your work in this area?
While at Gatwick, I did a few outreach talks in schools and I gave a lecture at an Association of Colleges event. Several of the heads and principals asked if I’d visit their institutions. It became apparent there was a real desire for experienced figures to talk to young people about engineering and careers in engineering.
I’m passionate about wanting to help us harness the talent and capability of the entire population that could be compelled to work in engineering. Engineering UK did some analysis a few years ago and there was a requirement for 250,000 new engineers every year. That hasn't gone away and most women aren’t seeing engineering as a career for them.
How can we make engineering and the sciences attractive for young girls and women?
A good starting point is increasing information and advice about engineering careers. It’s important to get the role models out there and help women see that you don’t have to be dressed in overalls wielding a greasy spanner to be an engineer.
For women and girls specifically, a better understanding of purpose and social impact of engineering would help to enthuse and engage them in thinking that engineering could be a choice for them. We also need to do a better job of making our workplaces inclusive so that once we have attracted women into the profession, they stay!
Read more about the other winners in our 2024 King’s Distinguished Alumni Awards.