Year in industry
Emma spent a year in industry with Costain working on Kings Cross St Pancras station before embarking on her degree. “I thought, I want to shape the world,” she says. While she was studying civil engineering at the University of Nottingham she attended a sustainable development conference in Dubai using her ELS funds. “It was a great opportunity to network and hear some of the latest thinking,” she says. She then spent a month learning Mandarin visiting construction projects in China, including the Three Gorges Dam.
Expect the unexpected when you apply. You can’t plan everything… it’s good to be open minded.
Building a career
Emma impressed a managing partner of Buro Happold at an ELS programme dinner, which led to a placement at the firm. She joined its graduate scheme and stayed with the company for eight years. “I worked on the 2012 Olympics, Battersea Power Station and some wonderful projects in Australia. That was where I got interested in creative reuse of old buildings,” she says. Emma then joined Cundall, where she worked on listed buildings in Covent Garden.
She continues to breathe new life into old buildings in her current role, as director of construction at the Metropolitan Police. “I’m interested in reusing existing buildings, which is more sustainable than demolishing
something and building something new,” she says. In charge of capital projects, Emma is working on the refurbishment of 15 police stations across London, and has just opened a new driver training academy.
It feels good to be part of a world-changing movement that I’m truly passionate about. While on paper my career may seem quite colourful, it was a pretty natural progression.
Advice
Emma believes the ELS brings great mentoring and networking opportunities. “You might meet someone who gives you your first job. I did,” she says. “Plus, there’s a network of people that you wouldn’t otherwise meet. That’s useful if you change course or are looking for jobs.”
Interested in participating in the Engineering Leaders Scholarship?
Visit the programme pages to find out more about how it could benefit you and your career.