Managing Major Infrastructure Projects for HS2 at WSP

I currently work as a Senior Engineer at WSP, a large global consultancy firm. Before joining WSP, I worked in contracting roles at Laing O’Rourke and Bechtel, but made the transition to the consultancy side a few years ago.

As part of my current role, I’m working as a Project Manager on HS2. WSP is responsible for the independent checking of approximately 90 assets on the approach to Birmingham, including major bridges and large retaining structures. Our role is to ensure the design of these assets are fit for purpose so that HS2 can operate smoothly between London and Birmingham.

Lessons in collaboration

One of the key takeaways from my time at Bath was the group projects. It’s something quite unique to the Civil Engineering course, and I found it incredibly valuable. Learning to navigate different personalities and collaborate with a wide range of people is something I do every day in my role as a Project Manager. I'm now managing hundreds of people across the globe, so having developed those teamwork and problem-solving skills early on has been important.

Building opportunities through determination

I was fortunate to receive an ICE QUEST Scholarship with Laing O’Rourke, which provided invaluable support throughout my degree. It also gave me the opportunity to undertake summer placements working on a variety of projects with the company. This significantly enriched my academic learning through hands-on experience.

Knowing that Laing O’Rourke was an international organisation, I enquired about the possibility of completing a summer placement abroad after my second year at university. Initially, the company said it wouldn’t be possible unless I won the UK Construction and Engineering Undergraduate of the Year award, where the prize was to complete an international summer placement. I accepted the challenge, entered the competition, and was thrilled to win. As a result, I had the opportunity to spend my summer working on various projects with Laing O’Rourke across Australia, which was an incredible experience.

Foundations of care

Immediately after completing my summer placement in Australia, I began my placement year in industry, working with Laing O’Rourke again. I was based in Wales, working on the Grange University Hospital.

The hospital is now fully open and serves around 600,000 people in South Wales. One of the wards I worked on was even used as a Nightingale hospital during Covid-19. It’s incredible to see how the work you do as a civil engineer can have such a positive impact on so many people’s lives.

“I think one of the biggest strengths of my degree was doing a year in industry. It’s such a unique opportunity, almost like a mini version of real life. It gave me real insight and confirmed that I wanted to stay in contracting over consultancy when I graduated, which was a great outcome.”

Celebrating Women in Engineering

Every year, the Women’s Engineering Society publishes a list celebrating the Top 50 Women in Engineering from across the sector. I was nominated by someone I deeply admire in the industry for my work addressing and improving the culture around sexual harassment, my work as a Project Manager as well as for the volunteering I do in schools to inspire the next generation of engineers.

“I felt incredibly honoured to be recognised. Honestly, it’s still sinking in that I was even nominated, let alone named on the list.”

On International Women in Engineering Day, I travelled to London for the awards ceremony and had the chance to meet many of the other amazing women who were also recognised. One of them was my former lecturer from Bath, Professor Jun Zang, who was also featured. It was such a special moment to share with her, and a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and reflect on how far we’ve both come since my time at Bath.

Advice for the future

I would say stay curious. Keep asking questions, whether it’s during your degree, on placement or once you are in industry. Be a sponge and absorb as much as you can from the people around you who have different experiences. It’s a great way to keep building your own knowledge, and you’ll also empower others just by showing a genuine interest in what they do.