Celebrating International Women’s Day with Wendy Stanton
Article posted on: 8 March 2023
It’s International Women’s Day. This year's theme is ‘embrace equity’ and is aimed at getting the world talking about why equal opportunities aren’t enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action. When we embrace equity, we embrace diversity, and we embrace inclusion.
Six months ago, Wendy Stanton joined us as Divisional Director in our Birmingham office to lead the civil and structural team. To celebrate International Women’s Day we caught up with Wendy and found out how, despite several obstacles, she followed her instincts to pursue a successful career in engineering.
Wendy also shared an update on how she’s enjoyed her first six months with Clancy, including some of the exciting projects her and the team are currently working on. Over to Wendy…
How have your first six months as Divisional Director at Clancy been?
I have thoroughly enjoyed my first six months which has flown by. It has made me feel refreshed and reinvigorated in my passion for delivering good engineering. A change is definitely a good thing sometimes.
The whole team at Clancy, from north to south, has been very supportive and welcoming and made settling in very easy.
It has also provided opportunities in sectors that I have not worked in for a long time, which has been interesting and provides excellent variety not just for me but also for the team.
I’ve enjoyed getting to know the existing team, as well as bringing in new team members to create a good well-balanced team in Birmingham that know we can grow and develop further.
Tell us more about what you and your team are currently working on.
The team is working on some fantastic schemes around the country, across a variety of sectors.
We’re working on a new entrance and wards at Warwick Hospital. In the education sector, Seven Stars School is a new steel-framed part two-storey, part single-storey primary school providing 10 new classrooms. Whilst in the further education sector we’re providing ongoing support at Wolverhampton College for works on their existing sites along with feasibility for new buildings.
In Luton, we are working on The Hive, a luxury residential development for Legacie Developments. This 11-storey steel-framed building will provide 67 one and two-bedroom luxury build-to-rent homes and will feature a roof garden.
The Hive, Luton - Image credit: Legacie
Then there’s also the work we’re currently delivering with DHL, including the fit-out of a circa 220,000sqft shed providing new facilities and mezzanine floors.
Finally, the team is undertaking various surveys and providing advice to many clients, one such being Euro Car Parts for whom we are conducting surveys at their sites across the country.
What attracted you to pursue a career in engineering, particularly civil and structural engineering?
This goes back to my secondary school days when an art teacher mentioned at a parents’ evening that he felt I would be good at technical drawing based on what he had seen in my art classes.
However, back in those days only boys did this, with woodwork and metalwork, and girls did needlework and cooking. After a discussion between my dad and various teachers, it was agreed that I would be allowed to do technical drawing (I still had to do cooking and needlework though!). I enjoyed it and achieved good grades.
I studied A-level maths, physics and chemistry. The basis to do engineering was there, but yet again I was told girls didn’t do civil engineering, despite it always coming up as a suitable option. When I looked into it further I knew it was something I would enjoy, with the appeal being that I wouldn’t always be in an office and that each project would be different. Enjoying maths and physics led nicely into structural engineering in particular, so I went for it! Being told I couldn’t do it might have actually pushed me to do it as well.
Is there anyone who inspires you? If so who and why?
My Dad. He questioned what was the ‘norm’ at the time and helped pave a way for me to progress down a route that suited my ability but that society at the time didn’t!
I believe he gave me the inspiration to achieve something and go for what I believe in. Despite several obstacles, he always gave me the support and belief in myself.
Proudest air-punch moment in your career to date?
A few things come to mind, like getting chartered, and a few specific projects, but a couple of things that I am proudest of are how I have learnt to help and support other people and seeing others achieve their stages of career development, as well as opening an office from scratch (day one sat by myself wondering why I had done it!) and growing it into a sound business unit of a company. This isn’t something I thought I would, or could do, so was proud of myself for achieving it.
Future trends – what changes do you see/would you like to see in the industry over the next 10 years
The ongoing sustainability challenge will no doubt continue, and will probably still be developing in 10 years time, but will be a key aspect in the industry across all disciplines with an increasing emphasis on civil and structural engineers, who have in the past not been as involved. However, I feel that the costs of developments will still sway sustainable decisions without more legislation or cost incentives for developers.
Modular construction (using all materials – concrete, steel and timber) will increase. It has notably increased over the previous 10 years but I believe there will be more emphasis on this.
In relation to materials, to make them ‘greener’ the use of nano materials will develop helping to reduce carbon and increase strength and properties of all common materials so using fewer materials.
And finally, artificial intelligence. AI will change how we compute things, in particular in structural engineering. Over the past 20 years computer technology has moved on immensely but in the next 10 years will develop further, there is even a question as to whether they will need structural engineers at all – of course they will!!