INWED: Meet the winners of the Top 50 Women in Engineering awards

Power Engineering International is proud to sponsor awards to 50 top engineers as part of International Women in Engineering Day

As part of International Women in Engineering Day, the Women’s Engineering Society has unveiled the winners of the Top 50 Women in Engineering awards.

Now in its eighth year, the Women’s Engineering Society founded awards in 2016 known as the WE50, to showcase the diversity of women engineers making a difference to people’s lives.

The awards are announced each year on 23 June which is International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), a campaign started by WES to raise the profile of Women Engineer’s around the world.

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Each year the Women’s Engineering Society chooses a different theme for the WE50 and INWED and for 2023, the theme for the WE50 is Safety and Security.

This year’s awards are held in association with Power Engineering International.

Kelvin Ross, Editor-in-Chief of Power Engineering International, which is sponsoring the WE50, said: “We are delighted and proud to support WE50 on International Women in Engineering Day.

“Power Engineering is a year-round advocate for women in engineering, however, days like International Women in Engineering Day and awards like WE50 are vital to shine a spotlight on the opportunities for women in engineering and highlight why girls in school and college should seize those opportunities.

“We cover the energy transition in detail, yet that shift to a net zero future must also be a just transition, and diversity and equality are key pillars of that transition.”

The 2023 Top 50 Women in Engineering Awards celebrate the women engineers who are engaged in safety and security and who #MakeSafetySeen.

Following in the footsteps of the Women’s Engineering Society’s first Secretary, Dame Caroline Haslett, who invented the three-pin safety plug to protect children from electric shocks, the 2023 WE50 winners are women who are protecting the public through their work, often unseen and unknown.

Nominations opened in February on International Day of Women and Girls in Science, to those women engineers who are working in safety and security, including cybersecurity, particularly if they also support sustainability and/or combat climate change, and support other women to do the same.

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Elizabeth Donnelly, Chief Executive of the Women’s Engineering Society, said of the awards: “Each year when choosing the theme for the Top 50 Women in Engineering Awards and International Women in Engineering Day, we strive to ensure that it is as diverse and inspiring as possible.

“That’s why in 2023 our theme is Safety and Security, which encompasses everything from food security to cyber safety through to defence and fire protection.

“The women in this year’s WE50 list are a truly an amazing group. Their work often goes unseen yet is key to keeping us all safe and secure. From the creation of a system being used to kill weeds with no chemicals, to providing safety leadership to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the women we celebrate in these awards are all inspirational in their work.

Donnelly said that each year “the judges are always amazed at the breadth and talent of the nominations they receive and this year’s nominees more than lived up to expectations”.

“What really struck the 2023 judges was how many of the women had overcome barriers both personally and professionally to forge a career in what is still a male-dominated environment.

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“Alongside this they still have the time to actively champion women in the industry and provide support and mentoring for those around them. We hope that these awards will inspire more women to get involved in engineering and show what a diverse and rewarding career it can be.”

Over the coming weeks, Power Engineering International will be spotlighting several of this year’s winners.

Here, in alphabetical order, are the Top 50 Women in Engineering for 2023:

1. Chisom Akujobi-Ezeonyeka - Power Electronics and Systems Engineer, Rootwave Ltd
2. Mary Allan - Principal Radiation Protection Scientist and Head of Profession, Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE)
3. Sarah Bailey - Hardware Engineer, Leonardo
4. Niamh Barker - Graduate Engineer, Arup
5. Dr Beth Barnes - Assistant Professor in Engineering, Durham University
6. Sholeh Behzadpour-Shaw - Senior Engineer Industrial Cyber, Heathrow Airport Ltd.
7. Dr Marzia Bolpagni - Associate Director – Head of BIM International, Mace
8. Sue Caccavone - Operations Manager – Asset Management, Binnies (UK) Ltd.
9. Caroline, GCHQ (note: Caroline's full details cannot be published)
10. Patrizia Carpentieri - Principal Blast Engineer, Arup
11. Kelly Cary - Managing Consultant – Transport Planning, Atkins
12. Dr Clara Cheung Senior Lecturer in Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester
13. Sarah Clark - Head of Technology Centre, Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE)
14. Natasha Dunkinson - Aerospace Engineering Degree Apprentice, BAE Systems
15. Jennifer Edwards - Senior Systems Engineer, UK Space Agency
16. Verena Fernandes - Senior Civil Engineer, Wokingham Borough Council
17. Dr Nicolette Formosa - Senior Research Engineer in Technology, National Highways
18. Mariella Gallo - Associate Director Arup Resilience Security and Risk, Arup
19. Charlotte Goodwill - CEO, Institute of Telecommunications Professionals
20. Ana Gorgyan - Director of Engineering, Independent Power Corporation PLC
21. Sally Hall - Senior Engineer, Frazer-Nash Consultancy
22. Amina Hamoud - Lecturer in Systems Engineering, University of West of England
23. Laura Hoang - Senior Human Factors Engineering Consultant, Environmental Resources Management Ltd
24. Lauren Jenkins - Engineering Capacity Lead, Defence Equipment and Support
25. Svetlana Joao - Structural Engineer and ICE President Future Leader, Institution of Civil Engineers
26. Emma Johnsén - Personal Care R&E Director, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Kimberly-Clark
27. Laura Joryeff - Principal (Engineering Safety) Consultant, Corporate Risk Associates (CRA)
28. Eleni Kastrisiou - Engineer, Arup
29. Susan Khan - Head of Hardware Engineering, Thales Ground Transportation Systems
30. Holli Kimble - Chief Engineer, Defence Equipment and Support
31. Dr Eluned Lewis - Team Leader Survivability, QinetiQ Defence and Security
32. Dr Salmabanu Luhar - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow (UK Research and Innovation), University of Sheffield
33. Jennifer Maher - Principal Mechanical Engineer, Sellafield Ltd.
34. Elena Martin Fernandes - Principal Highways Engineer, Waterman Aspen
35. Guilia Marzetti - Senior Carbon Management Consultant, Mott MacDonald
36. Jenny McLaughlin - Project Manager, Heathrow Airport Ltd.
37. Krishna Mistry - Body Engineering Programme Lead, Volta Trucks
38. Faith Natukunda System Capability Manager, National Grid ESO
39. Titilola Oliyide - Senior Process Safety Engineer, Supercritical Solutions
40. Stacey Peel - Director, Arup
41. Claire Price - Associate Director, WSP UK
42. Caroline Roche - Senior Engineer, Capula Ltd
43. Anne Seldon - Chief Engineer – Product Safety & Compliance, WAE Technologies
44. Nikita Shetti - Payload System Engineer, Airbus Defence and Space
45. Professor Nicola Symonds - Director, nC2 Engineering Consultancy, University of Southampton
46. Joanne Turner - Project Director, Amey Consulting
47. Shiyao Wang - Computer Vision Engineer, Intel Corporation
48. Roshni Wijesekera - Senior Fire Engineer, The Fire Surgery Limited
49. Catherine Wood - Maintain Design Integrity Group Lead, EDF Energy
50. Louise Wood - Senior LEV Engineer, Airducts Design Ltd & Airducts Engineering Ltd.