I have been asked countless times the question ‘Why did you study engineering?’ by both students and peers, perhaps because many people don’t see me as a typical engineer – my favourite subjects at school were probably English and art. I was brought up in Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, with minimal exposure to careers or pathways into the engineering profession.
My answer was that I was inspired to study chemical engineering at university by my RGS chemistry teacher, Dr MacMillan, whose husband worked on Teeside for ICI. She said there would be plenty of job opportunities and the chance to travel, which really appealed as I wanted to see the world.
In 2004, I graduated from Loughborough University with a BEng in chemical engineering and a diploma in industrial studies, having completed a year’s industrial placement in Chicago, Illinois.
Following graduation, I worked in the oil industry, spending time living in Chicago and travelling to commission technologies at oil refineries in China, South Korea, India, Israel and Europe.
I was lucky enough to visit many places, including the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and Jerusalem, but living out of a suitcase gets old after a while.
This experience gave me valuable insight into different cultures, people’s difficulties, unconscious biases, and global problems.
I came back to the UK and started working for the engineering design company Jacobs in the nuclear and defence sector. Although I had little knowledge of the sector, I soon learned that process engineering allows you to build a diverse variety of skills and opens a very wide range of potential careers and opportunities, with skills which are transferable across multiple industries. I spent over a decade developing my career as a process engineer across a variety of nuclear projects. I am part of Jacobs's Inclusion & Diversity steering group, a STEM ambassador, mentor and an advocate for diversity, ensuring that everyone feels valued for their contributions.
Three years ago, I had the opportunity to move into the sales team and I am now a business development director working within our defence and security business, currently focusing on Space and key UK defence clients. I believe my process engineering background allows me to take a holistic approach to meet our clients’ needs, optimising and assessing their challenges to provide the best solutions. Additionally, I am the local Stockton office lead providing strategic leadership, acting as a local figurehead to champion corporate initiatives including STEM and working to highlight pathways into the Space sector in the North East, as a member of the Space North East England leadership board.
I live in North Yorkshire, with my husband, also an Old Riponian, and my two sons. I spend most Sundays on the side of a rugby pitch and enjoy the outdoors, learning new things and music.
My work as a process engineer
During my career, I have been lucky enough to work on a very wide range of projects, ranging from leading the commissioning of a complex in South Asia, to decommissioning facilities at Dounreay, the world’s first fast nuclear reactor to supply energy to a national grid.
As a process engineer, on any given day I could be assessing hydrogen evolution risk to allow safe removal and transport of material for long-term storage or advising nuclear reactor designers on a storage strategy for a new nuclear power plant.
Additionally, when I progressed to become the process engineering team lead, I was responsible for the day-to-day operational running of the department, including resourcing, development, technical assurance, and input into bids, process engineering team goals, development, team appraisals, wellbeing & safety, support of professional chartership and CPD, technical assurance of projects, communication of industry best practice and changes to standards.
My team
The process engineering team I work with is based across our UK offices, covering a broad range of specialisms that encompass all aspects of process engineering from design, implementation and optimisation, safety case production and assessment to commissioning.
Projects are wide-ranging across multiple industries, for UK and international clients, including nuclear decommissioning, defence, pharmaceutical, chemical, plus hydrogen and carbon capture storage to support the transition to net zero. The team comprises interns and graduates through to technical managers and subject matter experts, providing a great opportunity for support, mentorship, innovation and collaboration to enable personal development.
What inspires me?
My parents’ work ethic has always been an inspiration; neither progressed into further education but they both worked hard, took opportunities when they arose and taught us to do the best we could. My career has been built on saying ‘yes’ to opportunities presented to me and having the confidence in my strengths to apply them in whatever I do. I am also inspired by those I work with, who embody our company’s culture of a caring and inclusive approach - it is nice to think we make a difference in the world.
My favourite quote
"If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving." - Martin Luther King Jr.