PRESS RELEASE

17 October 2019

Costain, the smart infrastructure solutions company, is proud to announce that two of its colleagues have today been listed in the top 100 Most Influential Woman in the engineering sector.

The list, produced by board appointments firm Inclusive Boards in partnership with the Financial Times, recognises the work of Dr Maxine Mayhew, managing director of natural resources and Isabel Coman, project director at HS2 main works.

Speaking of the accolade, Dr Maxine Mayhew said, “I am delighted and honoured to be recognised. It is an exciting time to get involved in the engineering challenges of this fast-paced sector. We can all make a difference as individuals, but the real strength is when we harness the power of thinking differently and work together.

“I’m encouraged to see the benefits of diversity and inclusion being recognised and growing in our sector.  We need to accelerate this and maintain continued optimism and curiosity to develop sustainable approaches to improve people’s lives.”

Commenting on her inclusion, Isabel Coman said, “I am thrilled to receive this recognition and to be included as part of such an eminent group of people. 

“I believe being true to myself and maintaining my authenticity, particularly in leadership roles, has brought me great career success but also enormous enjoyment and pride in what I, and the amazing teams I have been part of, have achieved.”

The full list will be officially released at the Inclusive Boards: Women in Engineering Leadership Conference on 22 October 2019.

Inclusive Boards will also be publishing extensive research into engineering in the UK as well as the results of their diversity survey of the UK’s top 500 engineering firms by revenue.

Development Director Elizabeth Oni-Iyiola said, “Engineers have an impact on almost every area of our day to day lives. Dr Maxine Mayhew, Isabel Coman and those featured today are role models who inspire those around them and demonstrate leadership and influence in the work that they do.”

Patrick Clarke, Director of Network Operations at UK Power Networks and judge for the list said, “I am personally inspired but not at all surprised by the tremendous talent on the Women in Engineering list. Sadly there are still plenty of people who will be surprised due to a mind-set which say Engineering equals males not females. I took part as a judge because I wanted to be inspired.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

About Dr Maxine Mayhew

Maxine Mayhew was appointed managing director of the Natural Resources division in May 2019. She joined Costain in 2017 and previously held the positions of water sector director and Group capability director, responsible for Costain’s capability including technology, consultancy, complex delivery and asset optimisation. After completing a PhD in wastewater treatment, Maxine has held a variety of roles in her 20 years in the water industry focused on leadership, innovation, commercial development and strategy delivery across all aspects of the industry from operations and engineering through to central support services (marketing, supply chain, SHEQ) and retail operations. Maxine is additionally a non-executive director for Karbon Homes and an independent council member for Cranfield University.

About Isabel Coman

Isabel Coman is currently project director for Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture at HS2 main works. Isabel is a chartered civil engineer, specialising in railway infrastructure and leading complex major projects. She has 22 years’ experience in the industry, is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and is a Board Director for High Speed Rail Industry Leaders (HSRIL). Isabel is passionate about improving our industry’s diversity and advancing women in transport.

About Inclusive Boards

Inclusive Boards are the UK's leading board appointments firm, specialising in attracting high level diverse talent through a network of over 60,000 professionals. They operate across sectors including sport, to charities and social investment. Inclusive Boards’ cutting-edge research has featured in the Independent, Guardian, Daily Mail and more.

Inclusive Boards have also conducted a detailed diversity survey, analysing the gender, ethnicity, age profiles, and educational and socioeconomic backgrounds of Boards, directors and executives of the UK’s 500 largest engineering firms by revenue. 

The list has been published today and will officially launch at the Inclusive Boards: Women in Engineering Leadership Conference in Central London on 22 October 22 2019, hosted by expert in gender and diversity issues in STEM, Dr Jan Peters. Inclusive Boards are the UK’s Executive Diversity Experts with a network of over 60,000 diverse professionals across the STEM, sport, not-for-profit and public sectors. 

www.inclusiveboards.co.uk