Celebrating INWED with SheCanEngineer

SheCanEngineer was established in 2018 with the aim of promoting gender diversity within the engineering sector. It focuses on supporting women and individuals from diverse backgrounds by providing mentorship, networking opportunities, and resources to help them thrive in engineering careers. The charity has since been instrumental in inspiring the next generation of engineers and advocating for a more inclusive and diverse workplace environment.

The event, held at the prestigious BAFTA building in Piccadilly, London, was full of inspiration, motivation, and opportunities to forge new connections while catching up with colleagues and friends.

The evening began with networking as a prelude to a series of insightful talks. Guests were ushered into the main stage area, collecting mini popcorn on the way, to prepare for an evening of motivating and relatable discussions.

Throughout the evening, guests were encouraged to consider how engineers enhance the world and what more can be done. The evening of ‘Engineering - Behind the Scenes’ pays homage to women and people of diverse backgrounds globally, aligning with INWED’s theme of ‘Enhanced by Engineering.’

Jennifer MacDonald, Diversity and Inclusion Adviser and Director at Engineering Inclusion, delivered the first talk. She highlighted the significant challenges engineers face, such as addressing climate change and decarbonisation, and emphasised the need to inspire and motivate the next generation of engineers.

MacDonald also shared her journey in engineering with a personal and rousing speech discussing the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She spoke candidly about her late diagnosis of dyslexia, which came after she had graduated as a chemical engineer, worked internationally on oil rigs for seven years, and now focuses on DE&I. This diagnosis changed her perspective on inclusive strategies and led her to develop self-adaptation strategies in the workplace.

“How do I communicate what I need? When I thought about it, all I needed was flexibility, options, and spaces where I could work,” said MacDonald. Her mantra, “I love a challenge,” resonated throughout her talk and was echoed by her fellow speakers.

Following MacDonald’s talk, an ‘In-Conversation’ panel featured Nintse Dan-Thé, Graduate Systems Engineer at Northrop Grumman UK; Simon Daniel, Head of DevSecOps and Agile Platform; and Laura Kershaw, Automotive Engineering Apprentice. They discussed intergenerational differences in the workplace and that sometimes you have to help one and another understand things, the importance of representation and belonging in STEM fields, and the importance of merging creativity with technical thinking. They also emphasised the need to engage different generations, create safe spaces for difficult conversations, and promote inclusivity to foster a diverse and productive work environment.

Kershaw spoke of her unique journey from the film industry to engineering: “I always thought I'd end up on a stage talking about film, but never in my life did I think I'd end up on a stage talking about engineering. Growing up, I was always a really creative child... Special effects is basically engineering for the film industry.” She further shared how her interest in vehicles and engineering grew, saying, “Seeing those guys really sparked my interest in how vehicles work.”

Daniel highlighted the generational differences in understanding diversity: “The difference with the younger generation coming in – half of this stuff we talk about in diversity, equity, and inclusion ... it’s a no brainer. You don't need to explain what the differences between sexuality and gender are, they get it. But you also need to make space for older generations to also have those conversations because they don't get it. So what you find is you have to make space for everyone at different levels to have different types of conversations. And, when you look at the two ends of the spectrum, there's a massive gap.”

Talking on what her favourite thing about being an engineer is, Dan-Thé said: “When I was younger … I used to go to a lot of maths competitions for my school and represent and I would be the only girl on the team. But in that scenario, it didn't really bum me out being the only girl because what I really enjoy about maths is working out a problem and coming to a solution at the end … I think engineering brings that aspect of maths to real life. You're solving problems in the real world and you see how your mathematical equations are actually coming together and solving real problems.”

Closing the talks was Katy Deacon CEng FIET, Managing Director of Towards Belonging Ltd, who delivered a powerful keynote on having difficult conversations. Deacon, who has spent over 12 years in a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis, passionately advocates for inclusive engineering design and accessibility.

Discussing inclusive engineering, Deacon emphasised the need to challenge existing barriers and advance accessibility within the industry. She shared her own experiences, highlighting the importance of considering disability in engineering design. Deacon advocated for inclusive solutions and stressed the need for designers to challenge their comfort zones and collaborate to create accessible designs.

She said: “My challenge to all of you, and every engineer that I speak to, is why don’t we design with inclusion and accessibility in mind? Because [disability] could happen to anybody.”

Speaking on her early career, Deacon mentioned a critical moment when she was told by her chief engineer to remove red flashing lights from a project to save the client costs. At the time, being young and female she did as she was told. However, she now reflects: “I come from the airline industry where safety is absolutely paramount. And so I learned how to design fire alarm systems, for example. And the one thing that they said is you've got to keep it safe. Everybody has to be able to get out absolutely fine. So I went off and did my first design and put the alarms everywhere, but I also put red flashing lights in every room so that anybody who was hard of hearing could know that there was a fire and they could get out safely. My chief engineer absolutely nailed me ... If I could go back to my old self now, I’d say ‘what are you doing?’ I talk about ED&I and all that stuff now, but I was one of those people who shrunk away and didn't challenge.”

Deacon also underscored the need for open communication between engineers and disabled individuals: “The two groups of people don’t talk. We don’t speak to each other. So the engineers don’t understand what the wheelchair users or the disabled people need ... and the disabled people talk a lot but they don’t communicate what they need to the engineers … My idea is that I’m trying to bridge the gap because I think it’s incredibly important that we have those conversations.”

The common theme threading through each of these talks? A unified call to action: engineers must embrace diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility to drive innovation and create a better world for everyone. By listening to diverse voices, challenging the status quo, and designing with all users in mind, the engineering community can enhance its impact and foster an environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

The evening concluded with a drinks and canapés reception and sponsor showcase. It was a perfect end to an inspiring evening, leaving everyone energised to enhance inclusivity by engineering a world where people can thrive without changing perceptions but simply being themselves.