Meet Georgia, a design manager, Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the ICE.
From starting in the rail sector on HS2, she's currently working at Heathrow as part of our Integrated Transport sector.
What led you to your career at Costain?
"I initially applied for a role as a constructability engineer in the rail consultancy team, as having such an influence at the pre-construction stage really interested me. This only grew when I met a few of the team during the interview stage, and I was excited to have the opportunity to do something different."
How does your role contribute to improving people’s lives?
"My main role has been at Heathrow Airport, where we have been commissioned to collaboratively shape, create and deliver asset renewal and construction projects. The role brings a unique opportunity to work with thousands of people and ensure that what we are delivering caters to everybody’s needs. It's important the airport is accessible to all.
"In addition, I was the project leader for a project Costain has undertaken with the Royal Academy of Engineering called the Inclusive Leadership Programme. This has been really impactful for me as we looked at the role of introversion, gender and ethnicity within the business and how we can ensure we are supporting people’s development, including creating spaces for people to communicate in the way that suits them best."
What’s your biggest professional achievement and why?
"I would say being the youngest woman to achieve ICE Fellowship. Alongside my engineering role, I passionately believe that inclusive cultures should be embedded within the industry, not just so we’re creating environments for people to thrive at work, but also in the products and services we provide. There is a traditional way we look at engineering and it feels empowering to change the narrative."
What do you enjoy most about working at Costain?
"There is a culture of flexibility and willingness of people to help and support you. Whether that is an idea or project you want to work on, there is a genuine desire from colleagues to support and grow that into a real opportunity."
What have you learned / what has inspired you during your time at Costain?
"The employee-led REACH (Religion, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) network has been my opportunity to connect with so many others around the business, and being able to co-chair the network has been such a great opportunity. I have been able to learn so much about other cultures and religions.
"Although I belong to a group that’s underrepresented across the industry, it gives me the opportunity to also learn from others and be an advocate and ally for other groups too."
What advice would you give to someone starting out in their career?
"Don’t wait for opportunities to be presented to you, sometimes you need to be able to say what you would like and find opportunities to make it happen. It doesn’t happen overnight but it is important you keep moving in the direction you see yourself in the future. And if it doesn’t work, just do something different and keep going."
Connect with Georgia on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.