Helen Townend, Technical Director for Diversity and Inclusion at Amey, has been named as one of the 100 most influential women in the Engineering sector in the UK.
She is among a prestigious list of women chosen by Inclusive Boards, in partnership with the Financial Times, and their names were officially announced at the Inclusive Boards: Women in Engineering Leadership Conference today.
Helen has over 25 years’ experience in Engineering spanning across three continents and her time at Amey has seen her spend 10 years involved in ground engineering and the last two championing the important subject of diversity and inclusion.
She is currently leading Amey’s transformation project to embed the culture of inclusion across all aspects of Amey Consulting’s business and change the dial towards gender parity while improving aspects of attraction, retention and recruitment of a diverse workforce making Amey a safe and fair place to work.
Commenting on her recognition, Helen said:
“I am delighted and flattered to have been selected for this year’s Inclusive Boards and Financial Times: 100 Most Influential Women in Engineering. I am proud to be an advocate for the varied and rewarding career opportunities the Engineering sector provides and working at Amey has created an opportunity to challenge ‘conventional’ thinking within engineering design, ensuring respect for all employee contributions.
“Diversity and Inclusion are at the heart of what we do at Amey and it is gratifying for me to be able to encourage more women into Engineering and help bust myths about the sector. As a STEM Ambassador along with 200+ others at Amey, we are inspiring the next generation of engineers by encouraging girls and people from diverse backgrounds to take up a career in Engineering.”
Inclusive Boards Development Director, Elizabeth Oni-Iyiola commenting on the list, said:
“Engineers have an impact on almost every area of our day to day lives. Helen and those featured on the list are role models who inspire those around them and demonstrate leadership and influence in the work that they do.”
And Patrick Clarke, Director of Network Operations at UK Power Networks and judge for the list said:
“I am personally inspired but not at all surprised by the tremendous talent on the Women in Engineering list. Sadly, there are still plenty of people who will be surprised due to a mind-set which says Engineering equals males not females. I took part as a judge because I wanted to be inspired.”
Amey has committed to increasing the number of women in its senior leadership positions through a Women’s Development Programme and Women@Amey network, which currently has over 200 members.
Amey is also working with Girlguiding UK to raise awareness of the importance of STEM education and careers for girls. The partnership has already reached more than 150,000 Rainbows, Brownies and Guides. To find out more about Diversity and Inclusion at Amey, visit: https://www.amey.co.uk/getting-started/diversity-inclusion/