On Thursday 19 June 2025, CIBSE YEN hosted a panel event ahead of International Women in engineering day.
Smoothly organised by our chair Zoe Dickson, the 2025 celebration of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) brought together powerful voices and inspiring stories from women across the industry. From personal journeys to practical advice, the event highlighted the importance of support networks, mentorship, and authenticity in driving gender equity in engineering.
The panel included:
-
(Chair) Tracy D’Souza - Regional Director at AECOM
-
Rebecca Stuart - CEO of Artus Air
-
Emma Taylor-Beal - Director at DCC MEP Ltd
-
Lizzy Pettitt - Project Manager at Royal Borough of Greenwich
-
Jennifer Cox - Senior Electrical Engineer at Cundall
Follow this link to read a bit more about the panel members.
The event was expertly chaired by Tracy, which led to some fantastic insights and advice to come away from this event with. Rebecca shared her unexpected journey toward leadership, starting off in automotive engineering and eventually becoming the CEO of Artus Air. She had never even considered going for the CEO role until encouraged to step up to the role by her strong support network.
Lizzy and Jennifer found themselves in teams in which they were the only women. Both emphasised how vital it is to build and lean on a network—especially in male-dominated environments. The importance of having role models for women in the industry is still really important, but Jennifer rightly pointed out that your mentor does not have to look like you. If there is someone doing the job you want to do, ask them if they will mentor you and you may be pleasantly surprised.
Emma spoke candidly about the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say no. Her message was clear: women don’t need to carry the burden of pleasing everyone. Instead, women should focus on aligning their actions with their values and maintaining integrity.
Emma also addressed a pressing issue: women, particularly minority women, are leaving the industry. The solution, she argued, lies in practicing what we preach—calling out injustice, backing each other up, and refusing to stand idle in the face of inequality.
This event included a cameo appearance from Maya Komolafe, the author of Eliana wants to Fly, a book with the purpose of inspiring girls from minority backgrounds who want to become a pilot or have ambitious dreams. Find out more here.
Another recommended read was The Big Picture by Vanessa Necate, offering broader perspective on the climate crisis and how it will affect Africa the most - a fact this being largely ignored in the global scene.
Throughout the event, several key pieces of advice emerged:
-
Build a strong network: of friends, family, colleagues and members of the industry.
-
Learn to say no: Boundaries preserve your mental wellbeing and build your own self-respect.
-
Get a mentor: Seek guidance from those who’ve walked the path—even if they don’t look like you.
-
Ask questions: Curiosity is a strength, not a weakness.
-
Know your values and be yourself: Authenticity is more powerful than conformity.
Thank you to Artus Air for Sponsoring this event, Arup for providing the venue and thank you to the chair and panelists for offering up time from their busy schedules to inspire us all!