Two AWE senior engineers are honoured in the 2023 Top 50 Women in Engineering (WE50) UK awards.
The WE50 awards were launched by the Women’s Engineering Society in 2016 and mark the annual International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) on 23 June. The theme of INWED 2023 is Make Safety Seen and each of the 50 women engineers who have won awards are being recognised for their work in safety and security and their contribution to protecting the public.
An engineer for 30 years, AWE’s Mary Allan said: “I was thrilled to be approached to apply to the competition by my AWE colleagues – even just to be picked out to make an entry was very special. Now that I have actually been chosen by the Women’s Engineering Society as one of their winners, it is even more exciting!
“I think that celebrating women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) by having such competitions is to be encouraged – we need to address the gender balance within STEM professionals. The gender balance wasn’t great when I started 30 years ago but we are definitely seeing results now. Being more visible should encourage more women to choose STEM for their careers which is great for AWE and all nuclear industries.
AWE’s Sarah Clark said: “I am honoured to be recognised as one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering, particularly for this year’s theme of Make Safety Seen. Safety has been at the heart of my work from the start of my career to my current position as the head of a key operational area in AWE. I am proud to represent my female colleagues at AWE who have supported me in my career and work hard every day to ensure safe and secure delivery of our programme.”
WES is a charitable company founded in 1919 to lobby for the pioneering women who worked in engineering and technical roles during the War to retain their roles when the war ended. It continues to inspire and support diversity in engineering by promoting the education of women in engineering, raising the international profile of female engineers and educating the public about inclusive career opportunities. Find out more
(left) AWE award-wining engineer Mary Allan
(right) AWE award-winning engineer Sarah Clark