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SheCanEngineer

SheCanEngineer

A Careers and Business podcast

#178 in Careers · 🇩🇰
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About the show

Explore conversations with inspiring people from across the Engineering industries with a focus on Diversity and Inclusivity in Engineering.

Newest episodes

Ep 18 - The Art of Leading as Yourself: Embracing Quiet Strength & Authentic Leadership

53 min

Sally Twisleton is an executive coach, facilitator, and former engineering leader who specialises in helping technically brilliant people become exceptional leaders. After an 18-year career at Rolls-Royce, including serving as Head of Engineering Quality, she founded Assemble Coaching to support engineering leaders, teams, and organisations in having the conversations that matter most. During her time at Rolls-Royce, Sally led engineering quality governance, continuous improvement, capability development, and cultural transformation across a global engineering organisation. She also championed mentoring, coaching, engineering diversity and inclusion, and behavioural change, giving her a rare combination of deep technical credibility and expertise in human leadership. Today, through Assemble Coaching, Sally works with organisations to develop leaders, facilitate high-performing teams, and build coaching cultures. As a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and an EMCC Senior Practitioner Coach, she brings together engineering discipline and human-centred leadership to help organisations unlock the potential that already exists within their people. Links: Connect with Sally on LinkedIn Assemble Coaching Audio series HBR article

Black History Month: “Honouring Our Communities”

47 min

Dr Nike Folayan MBE (PhD, CEng, FIET, HonFREng) is a Chartered Electronics Engineer, Technical Director and Technical Discipline Leader for Communications and Control at WSP, leading complex transport and infrastructure projects globally. She is Chair and Co-Founder of the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK), a pioneering organisation that has supported more than 20,000 people pursuing careers in engineering and technology. A respected advocate for equity, inclusion and engineering excellence, Nike serves on numerous advisory boards and has been recognised among the UK's most influential women in engineering. She was awarded an MBE for services to diversity in engineering and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.If you want to find out more about some of the things Nike talks about, here are some links:AfBE: Inspiring diversity in engineering | AFBE-UKAfBE Live: AFBELive 2026 - The Future of Engineering: From Access to Equity The Face of Engineering: The Face of Engineering - The Common Room

Ep. 16 - Engineering Differently: People, Data & Trust

47 min

Guest: Mohammad Shana’a He/Him CEO – Morta Technology Ltd This episode of the SheCanEngineer Podcast is proudly sponsored by Morta. In this episode of the SheCanEngineer Podcast, we’re joined by Mohammed Shana’a, CEO and Co-Founder of Morta, for a conversation about the future of the built environment and the role people, data and technology can play in changing the way the industry works. Mo shares his journey from civil engineering and project controls to founding Morta, reflecting on the early stages of his career and the frustrations that ultimately inspired him to build a different way of working. We explore why so many engineers enter the industry only to find themselves spending more time managing spreadsheets and information than solving engineering problems, and how disconnected data and systems can make it difficult for project teams to understand how their projects are really performing. Mo also discusses what he sees as a wider trust problem within the built environment, why digital transformation often falls short when technology is imposed from the top down, and why meaningful change has to start with the people doing the work every day. We also discuss the opportunities for the next generation of engineers to challenge the way things have always been done, how AI could shape the industry, and what actually encourages people to embrace new technology in their day-to-day work. From spreadsheets and AI to trust, sustainability and industry-wide change, this episode explores what it will take to build a smarter, more connected built environment - and why technology may provide the tools, but people will ultimately drive the transformation. Connect with Mo - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mshanaa/⁠ Learn more about Morta - ⁠https://www.morta.io/⁠

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All episodes

Ep 18 - The Art of Leading as Yourself: Embracing Quiet Strength & Authentic Leadership

53 min

Sally Twisleton is an executive coach, facilitator, and former engineering leader who specialises in helping technically brilliant people become exceptional leaders. After an 18-year career at Rolls-Royce, including serving as Head of Engineering Quality, she founded Assemble Coaching to support engineering leaders, teams, and organisations in having the conversations that matter most. During her time at Rolls-Royce, Sally led engineering quality governance, continuous improvement, capability development, and cultural transformation across a global engineering organisation. She also championed mentoring, coaching, engineering diversity and inclusion, and behavioural change, giving her a rare combination of deep technical credibility and expertise in human leadership. Today, through Assemble Coaching, Sally works with organisations to develop leaders, facilitate high-performing teams, and build coaching cultures. As a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and an EMCC Senior Practitioner Coach, she brings together engineering discipline and human-centred leadership to help organisations unlock the potential that already exists within their people. Links: Connect with Sally on LinkedIn Assemble Coaching Audio series HBR article

Black History Month: “Honouring Our Communities”

47 min

Dr Nike Folayan MBE (PhD, CEng, FIET, HonFREng) is a Chartered Electronics Engineer, Technical Director and Technical Discipline Leader for Communications and Control at WSP, leading complex transport and infrastructure projects globally. She is Chair and Co-Founder of the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK), a pioneering organisation that has supported more than 20,000 people pursuing careers in engineering and technology. A respected advocate for equity, inclusion and engineering excellence, Nike serves on numerous advisory boards and has been recognised among the UK's most influential women in engineering. She was awarded an MBE for services to diversity in engineering and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.If you want to find out more about some of the things Nike talks about, here are some links:AfBE: Inspiring diversity in engineering | AFBE-UKAfBE Live: AFBELive 2026 - The Future of Engineering: From Access to Equity The Face of Engineering: The Face of Engineering - The Common Room

Ep. 16 - Engineering Differently: People, Data & Trust

47 min

Guest: Mohammad Shana’a He/Him CEO – Morta Technology Ltd This episode of the SheCanEngineer Podcast is proudly sponsored by Morta. In this episode of the SheCanEngineer Podcast, we’re joined by Mohammed Shana’a, CEO and Co-Founder of Morta, for a conversation about the future of the built environment and the role people, data and technology can play in changing the way the industry works. Mo shares his journey from civil engineering and project controls to founding Morta, reflecting on the early stages of his career and the frustrations that ultimately inspired him to build a different way of working. We explore why so many engineers enter the industry only to find themselves spending more time managing spreadsheets and information than solving engineering problems, and how disconnected data and systems can make it difficult for project teams to understand how their projects are really performing. Mo also discusses what he sees as a wider trust problem within the built environment, why digital transformation often falls short when technology is imposed from the top down, and why meaningful change has to start with the people doing the work every day. We also discuss the opportunities for the next generation of engineers to challenge the way things have always been done, how AI could shape the industry, and what actually encourages people to embrace new technology in their day-to-day work. From spreadsheets and AI to trust, sustainability and industry-wide change, this episode explores what it will take to build a smarter, more connected built environment - and why technology may provide the tools, but people will ultimately drive the transformation. Connect with Mo - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mshanaa/⁠ Learn more about Morta - ⁠https://www.morta.io/⁠

Episode 15 - Leading beyond Compliance: The Future of Building Performance

32 min

Guest: Fiona Cousins She/Her Arup Fellow | Chief Operating Officer – Total Design Fiona is Arup's Global Chief Operating Officer for Total Design, an Executive Director on the Arup Group Board, and served as CIBSE President from 2024 to 2025 with the presidential theme Building Performance Reimagined. She leads the development of Arup's Total Design approach, combining technical excellence, digital innovation, and multidisciplinary collaboration to deliver practical, sustainable solutions for clients. Prior to her current role, Fiona held several leadership positions across the Americas, including Chair of Arup Americas, Global Automation Leader, Chair of the Digital Council, and Digital and Resilience Business Leader. A professional mechanical engineer and Arup Fellow, Fiona has delivered landmark projects including the US Embassy in London, Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech, and Perez Art Museum Miami. She is a recognised thought leader in sustainability, building performance, energy, carbon reduction, and climate action, and is a frequent speaker to industry and academic audiences. In this episode, Fiona had an open conversation with Sam and Ruth, New Podcast co-hosts, about her career, her Leadership Journey and her love for Kayak.If you want to find out more about some of the things Fiona talks about, here are some links:- Building Performance Reimagined: Building Performance Reimagined project- Kayaking: Post | LinkedIn

Ep. 14 - Emphasising the ‘A’ in STEAM: How a Passion for Fine Art led to Human Factors Engineering

27 min

Robbie Graham is a graduate Human Factors Consultant working for Amentum. Having studied Product Design Engineering at the University of Glasgow and the Glasgow School of Art, Robbie uses his creative experience to approach new engineering problems in a holistic way, citing his development of soft skills through university as one of the most important skills you can have in the Human Factors industry. In this episode, Lucy - one of SheCanEngineer's new podcast hosts chats to Robbie about his interesting path into engineering, his community work in bringing art and creative classes and exhibitions to refugees, and his (and Lucy's) experiences of university life during the COVID pandemic. Robbie also talks about his cool projects, combining art and science to understand materials. From creating ceramics from oyster shells (growing up in in the west coast of Scotland!) to kinetic sculptures using bioluminescent algae! If you want to find out more about some of the things Robbie talks about, here are some links: https://www.ascus.org.uk/ - the UK’s first publicly accessible Art & Science Lab."3607” exhibition by artist Kexin Liu: examines microorganisms living in the human body and their impact on our sense of “self”. Named after the number of bacteria species detected in her body, the series aims to challenge human individuality and celebrate the millions of tiny organisms that make up our identity. Her work includes a soundscape derived from bacterial sequences, textiles dyed with pigmented bacteria, and a visual representation of human-bacteria interactions.”Robbie's Instagram Art Account: https://www.instagram.com/greys__gallery/

Ep. 13 - The Variety of Consultancy: From Washing Powder to the Hadron Collider

35 min

This episode is sponsored by Frazer Nash Consultancy, who are proud to be a SheCanEngineer Silver sponsor. Sally Hall is a multi-award winning engineer at Frazer-Nash Consultancy within the Electrical, Control and instrumentation (E,C&I) team. Working within a consultancy allows Sally the chance to work across multiple industries, sectors and roles with a focus on safety, environmental protection, security, and innovation. In her spare time, Sally mentors university students, is a trustee for the Charity Our Tide and is a Fellow for One Health Tech. In this episode, we discuss the variety of projects Sally works on - from washing powders, medical devices, and the Hadron Collider! We also highlight all the things Sally gets involved with outside of work, how they enhance her role as an engineer and consultant, and how empowering it is that her employer is fully supportive of all of these, embracing her skills, experience and innovation that comes with them.

Ep.12 - Black History Month: It's Really Warm to Feel Appreciated

38 min

Black History Month is celebrated in October in the UK; as we close out October, we want to carry on the conversations, around the theme 'Reclaiming Narratives' Guests: Kierra Grant is a Chemical and Process Engineering student at London South Bank University with hands-on Internship experience in the Engineering industry. She has interned at Britvic, contributing to sustainability initiatives, energy calculations, and safety protocols. Kierra has led the design of a Heat Exchanger using Aspen HYSYS and has been invited to represent Britvic at the D&I FMCG 2024 conference. As a volunteer Ambassador for SheCanEngineer, she actively promotes STEM careers for women. Ruth is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with over a decade of experience in both France and the UK, and is currently a Senior Mechanical Engineer at chapmanbdsp, an engineering consultancy. Ruth chairs the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Young Engineers Network (YEN), which provides a platform for new thinking, novel approaches to design and knowledge exchange and ensures that young engineers engage more closely with our professional institution at an early stage in their careers. Ruth is also the Chair of CIBSE Home Counties South West Region, which is a regional London committee aiming to support HQ in interactions with regional members and provide technical Training. She is also a member of CIBSE Council, and a Member of CIBSE Minority Ethnic Groups Panel. Ruth is a STEM Ambassador, and an active member of the SheCanEngineer Committee.

Ep. 11 - We're Now a Registered Charity! Being a Part of This Energy

24 min

The first half of 2024 has been a little manic! Not least because SheCanEngineer formally became registered as a charity! Following our Charity launch event in January 2024, we have busy doing exciting things, and planning the future of SheCanEngineer! Two of our two newest committee members join us to tell us why they decided to join SheCanEngineer, and what they have been up to, as well as what SheCanEngineer has been up to, and have planned! Guests: Natalia Adamson is a Project Engineer; she leads project delivery in the Vehicle Emissions Research Centre, overseeing whole vehicle emissions and electric consumption testing. Her expertise in certification testing ensures that test procedures meet stringent regulatory requirements, guaranteeing the accuracy and reliability of results. In addition to her technical role, Natalia actively engages in commercial work, managing projects from inception to completion, and being the dedicated Single Point of Contact for several major projects.  Natalia is deeply involved in the engineering community. As a Co-opted member of the IMechE's Young Members Board, she plays a key role in shaping the future of her Institution, focusing on governance strategies and initiatives to empower emerging engineers. Through her involvement, Natalia aims to foster an environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity within the engineering field. As a STEM ambassador, Natalia shares her passion for engineering by inspiring the next generation of professionals. Natalie Collcutt is a Senior Building Services Engineer at Watkins Payne. She is a mechanically biased engineer with over a decade of experience in the construction industry. With an interesting background completing her degree as part of an apprenticeship, Natalie has  a diverse range of experiences in both residential and commercial projects, spanning from feasibility studies to project completion. Passionate about promoting engineering and construction car...

Ep. 10 - Parental Leave: It's Not a 'Day Off' in Any Way, Shape or Form

37 min

In this episode, we discuss parental (maternity) leave, and our guests Emma and Diana share their experiences and insights into how organisations can better support expectant parents and when they return to work. Through our discussion, it is clear that it is different for everyone, so flexibility in support is essential. Emma has worked at Thames Water for almost 8 years, predominantly within Talent Management, HR. Emma is also a lead for one of the work streams within the Women’s Network - leading on the most recent campaign which will focus on supporting women returning back to the work place after maternity leave. This is looking at ways to improve processes through a variety of different initiatives, ensuring that mothers are supported as much as possible and that managers feel they too have support in place/understand the complexities. Outside of work she enjoys time with her sweet 3 year old boy, good coffee, and long, sunny walks (preferably with coffee in hand). Diana is a mechanical engineer from a manufacturing background. She designed and manufactured consumer and domestic products for UK based companies, before making the move into construction and building services consultancy. With two young children and a Labrador puppy, she is an expert in high stakes negotiation and defusing potentially volatile situations. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did! We would love to hear from you and anything you would like to share on this topic! SheCanEngineer team

Ep. 9 - Process Safety, Resilience & Integrity: Always Take the High Road (The View is Better)

27 min

In this episode, our guest Trish Kerin - Director of the Institution Chemical Engineers Safety Centre introduces the topic of process safety, its impact, and sharing insights on her own podcast (Process Safety from Trish and Traci). We also discuss good leadership qualities - and how empowering others to speak up, as well as feeling empowered to challenge increases safety in every aspect. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did! We would love to hear from you and anything you would like to share on this topic! SheCanEngineer team

Ep.8 - Apprenticeships: A 'Try Before You Buy' Career Path

32 min

We are back with another episode! Join us as we discuss apprenticeships with Sarah-Jane (SJ) and Lequesha, two fabulous Engineers who both started their careers with an apprenticeship. Lequesha was born in Goa, India and moved to the UK at a young age. She recently secured a degree apprenticeships with Rolls Royce where she is currently working on drones and 3D printing. SJ started her career over 20 years ago as an apprentice and completed an engineering technician apprenticeships with BAE Systems. She has worked on numerous aspects of the engineering lifecycle and is currently seconded to the MoD as a Programme Director. In this episode we discuss the perception of apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships and its changing narrative. SJ and Lequesha also highlight the wide variety of apprenticeships in every industry as well as the disparity in apprenticeships in the North and South of England. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did! We would love to hear from you and anything you would like to share on this topic! SheCanEngineer team

Ep. 7 - The Impact of STEM Clubs: Teamwork and Collaboration Make it Happen!

27 min

Season 2 of the SheCanEngineer kicks off with a wonderful guest, who the SheCanEngineer team had the pleasure of meeting at the 2022 SheCanEngineer INWED STEM Day! Rose Russell is an Art and D&T Technician at the Ursuline Academy IIford, and is also the STEM Co-ordinator. With a background in Fashion, she never really envisaged a career championing STEM, and in particular, Engineering! But when she founded the academy's STEM Club, she found that students really wanted to get involved - and now there is a waiting list for it! Rose has won multiple awards, and doesn't usually like the limelight, she believes the success of the STEM Club is down to teamwork and the students - which is all true but she doesn't give herself enough credit! Listen to how she made it all happen, the impact it has had on past and current students, and despite the challenges, why it is all worth it.

Ep. 6 - Entrepreneurship: The Generation of the Side Hustle

27 min

Welcome back to another episode of the SheCanEngineer Podcast. Following on from the INWED celebrations, we chat to Francesca O’Hanlon, an innovator and inventor who uses her Engineering expertise and entrepreneurship skills to solve a very real problem. Francesca is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge and Founder and CEO of Blue Tap, a social enterprise that has developed affordable household water treatment technology. Blue Tap has run water treatment projects in Uganda and Kenya and is beginning a new project in India in the summer of 2022. Francesca founded Blue Tap after working for the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for two years in South Sudan and the Central African Republic, where she coordinated the water supply for emergency hospitals in conflict settings. Francesca has won a National Geographic Explorers Award for her work for Blue Tap and for her PhD research in climate resilience and water security. In this episode, we discuss how even though engineers are the ones with the good ideas, taking that risk to commericialise these ideas and products can seem such a big scary step, but there are ways to do this with relatively low risk. Francesca also highlights how even if your business fails, you are still a success in other ways, as well as key role models who inspired her in her career. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did and. As ever, we would love to hear from you and anything you would like to share on this topic! SheCanEngineer team

Ep. 5 - Allyship: Simple Changes Can Make A Big Difference

40 min

Welcome back to another episode of the SheCanEngineer Podcast. In this episode we are going to talk about Allyship. Our guests James Townsend and Tim Hurstwyn will share their experiences as diversity allies in the Engineering industry. James is an Area Manager at Thames Water where he has worked for 9 years, wholly in the Operational side of the business, working with a team that spans across the majority of London. Tim joined Sellar as Development Manager after over 20 years of experience as Civil and Structural Engineer. James is the Women’s Network Project Advisor at Thames Water while Tim has acted as a mentor, both formally and informally, for dozens of people at all levels, both within his organisation and externally. They have very different experiences on what it means to be an ally but for both of them everything starts from the smallest actions. In this episode you will find out that being an ally does not always require grand gestures, both in the workplace and in society. Everyone of us can open up the conversation, step outside our comfort zone and listen. Everyone of us can be an ally! We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did and, as ever, we would love to hear from you and anything you would like to share on this topic!

Ep. 4 - Mentorship Schemes: All You Need to Know!

28 min

Welcome to the fourth episode of the SCE podcast featuring Helen Ramsay - Fellow Member of the Institution of Chemical Engineering (IChemE). For over 20 years, Helen has encouraged students into STEM careers and developed Diversity & Inclusion policies in various organisations as well as building her career in environmental engineering and medical devices engineering management.  In this episode Helen talks about her experience as mentor in the Women in Engineering Society (WES) mentorship scheme. What to look for in a mentor, how it can benefit your career aspirations, how to find the best mentor for you and also why you might want to eventually become a mentor yourself: these are only some of the topics you can discover in this episode. In addition to this, Helen and our host Laura also discuss how mentorship can ultimately make a difference in tackling Diversity & Inclusion issues in the industry by supporting and representing those overcoming the challenges common to minority groups in early stages of their professional careers. Mentorship really is a powerful tool for professional career development, both for junior engineers and more senior leaders. If you want to share some of your experiences as a mentor or mentee, as always, please do get in touch!

Ep. 3 - The Role of the Professional Engineering Institutions: Driving the Transformational Change

44 min

Transcripts of the episode are available on our website www.shecanengineer.com. Welcome to another episode of the SCE podcast. In this new episode our guests Nigel Fine - Chief Executive and Secretary of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)- and Alice Bunn - Chief Executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)- discuss the role of the Professional Engineering Institutions in driving change and supporting Diversity and Inclusion in the Engineering industry. After highlighting the amazing progress made in the industry in the past years, both Alice and Nigel touch on an incredible variety of topics that are all linked to the issue of diversity in engineering and its key role in addressing the challenges of the future. The opportunity of flexible working and diversity campaigns, engineering education and STEM outreach, fostering collaboration and innovation: these are the tools that the professional bodies are using in the continuous effort to reshape the engineering industry and keep it modern and relevant to meet the needs of the next generation for a more diverse, ethic and sustainable future. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. As always, we would love to hear your thoughts so don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Ep. 2 - The Importance of STEM Education: Start it Early!

35 min

Transcripts of the episode are available on our website www.shecanengineer.com.  In this episode we are going to dive into one of the most important tools we can use to redefine the perception of engineering careers and attract as diverse as possible talents: education. We are joined by Alexandra Knight, Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the IMechE with over 15 years’ experience of working in industry. She is the Founder of Stemazing – a social enterprise dedicated to inspiration and inclusion in STEM. Alex shares her incredible career path; from when her teacher inspired her and suggested she explore the world of Engineering, becoming mechanical and medical engineer, from designing submarines to advancing infrastructure digitalisation and eventually founding Stemazing and winning awards for her work in championing diversity and inclusion in STEM. By exposing kids to the variety of opportunities that a career in STEM can offer, she explains how education of young children is key to making a positive impact: it helps create tangible role models, break down cultural stereotypes, improve confidence, ignite curiosity and empower kids to see how school subjects can help solve real world problems. And it is not just for students: focusing on education is so fundamental because it is often the starting point of a series of unpredictable virtuous circles that involve teachers, parents, volunteers and ultimately the wider society. And you? Do you know what the “E” in STEM stands for? We hope you enjoy this episode and if you want to take part in the discussion further, we would love to hear from you. You can get in touch with us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or via email at info@shecanengineer.com.

Ep. 1 - Diversity Outreach Relies on Volunteers: What Are We Doing to Help?

46 min

Transcripts of the episode are available on our website www.shecanengineer.com Join the SheCanEngineer committee in discussing the importance and the challenges of diversity outreach work in the engineering industry: how can we support and promote diversity, what do we need to get better at as an industry and how far have we come in tackling the issue. Our guests for this episode are Martina Capecchi and Dawn Bonfield. Martina is a Senior Façade Engineer in London and has been part of the SheCanEngineer committee since 2018. In this episode, she explains what the committee is doing to keep promoting diversity and showcasing the achievements of great women across the industry, and also how volunteering can help you develop specific skills for your professional career and how to get involved. The second part of the episode features Dawn Bonfield, CEO of Towards Vision and founder of International Women in Engineering Day. Dawn highlights the vital role that volunteering organisations play in diversity outreach but also warns about the “double-edged sword” of volunteering often perceived as getting in the way of career progression. We hope you enjoy this episode and if you want to take part in the discussion further, we would love to hear from you. You can get in touch with us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or via email at info@shecanengineer.com

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