AWE’s Melanie Horton named among the Top 50 Women in Engineering 2026

AWE is proud to recognise an outstanding achievement within its engineering community.

Melanie Horton has been named one of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) Top 50 Women in Engineering for 2026. This prestigious recognition highlights individuals across the UK who are making a significant impact in engineering, demonstrating both technical excellence and leadership within the profession.

Melanie’s inclusion in this year’s Top 50 is a fantastic accomplishment and a reflection of her dedication, expertise, and the positive impact she has made across the organisation.

Accepting the award, Melanie commented:

“Being named as one of the Women’s Engineering Society’s Top 50 Women in Engineering 2026 is an incredible honour and a highlight of my career. To be recognised alongside such an inspiring group of engineers from across industry, academia, defence and technology is both humbling and rewarding. Throughout my 26 years with the company, I have been passionate about solving complex engineering challenges, delivering technical excellence, and supporting, coaching, and mentoring others to help them develop and reach their full potential. This award feels like recognition not only of my own journey, but also of the support, collaboration and dedication of the teams I have worked with throughout my career. I hope this recognition helps inspire others to pursue engineering careers, challenge expectations, and see that they can shape the technologies and solutions of the future.”

Achievements like this not only celebrate individual success, but also inspire the next generation of engineers and reinforce the importance of diversity and inclusion across the engineering profession.

The full list of winners is available on the Women’s Engineering Society website.