Chaido Doulala-Rigby CEng FICE, MHKIE MIMMM
My Christian name, Chaido, is Greek (and so am I!) and can be hard for non-Greeks to pronounce, so I am generally known as ‘Yuli’ - a nickname my mum gave me when l started school.
I am Chief Civil Engineer for Tensar International, which is a market leader for the manufacture of geogrids and provider of technology driven solutions for ground stabilisation and soil reinforcement, including the design and supply of systems for reinforced soil structures across the world.
How long have you been a Fellow and why did you apply?
I joined ICE in 2005 and I applied to become a Fellow in August 2011: firstly, to enhance the professional credibility of my role at Tensar, and secondly, to increase the awareness and profile of women in the industry. Astonishingly, there are only two female FICE in the North West of the UK, including myself, which I hope will change in the very near future.
Why is being a Fellow of ICE important to you?
ICE is recognised everywhere in the world. I have the greatest respect for the Institution and its great contribution to global engineering. Achieving fellowship, the highest grade of ICE membership, on a personal level makes me and my family very proud. On a professional level, it adds kudos to my position and the way I am perceived as one of Tensar’s global technical ambassadors. On a recent trip to South Africa, when introduced as a conference speaker, I was greeted by additional applause when it was mentioned that I am a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Now that has to be the best start to any business trip!
What is your greatest achievement to date?
The most challenging and ultimately most rewarding project I have been involved in has to be the Fujairah Freeway in the United Arab Emirates. This involved the construction of a number of reinforced soil retaining walls to support the new freeway across challengingly deep valleys in desolate, rugged, mountainous terrain with up to 80m grade separation. For Tensar, it was the largest retaining wall project to date and for me, an awesome challenge, to lead the design team on these extreme structures and push the boundaries of geosynthetics!
What do you think it takes to become a Fellow?
A Fellow’s character and actions reflect directly on ICE’s reputable image and therefore it is imperative that Fellows live by example, always strive for excellence and act as role models for the rest of the engineering society.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Those born in a western society tend to take things we have always had, like water, for granted. I often ask my kids (Anna 12 and Alexios 9) to imagine life without water just for a day - they think I’m mad! Everybody should be entitled to free, clean water but sadly this is not the case and 5,000 children die every day due to drinking and using polluted supplies. We can all make a difference by not wasting water and also by contributing to charities like WaterAid, which I passionately support and is also officially supported by ICE.