Three voices, one industry, a shared goal: help others see themselves in engineering

Engineering has the power to shape lives, communities and futures.

But for many people, especially women and those from underrepresented backgrounds, it can still feel like an industry they do not quite see themselves in.

The Chai & Chat Engineering podcast was created to change that.

The power of conversation

Chai & Chat Engineering is built on the simple but powerful idea of conversation.

Inspired by the cultural tradition of sharing stories over a cup of chai, it offers a welcoming space for open and honest dialogue about careers in engineering and the built environment.

With the aim of challenging perceptions about who belongs in the industry, the podcast shines a light on women from ethnic minority backgrounds whose voices and experiences are often underrepresented.

Introducing the co-hosts

Dipalee Jukes

Dipalee Jukes is a geologist, ground engineer and entrepreneur.

She's the co-founder and co-CEO of Ground & Water, a geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering consultancy established in 2009.

With over two decades of industry experience, Dipalee is a strong advocate for inclusive leadership, values-led business and developing people alongside projects.

She is actively involved in professional mentoring, school governance and sector-wide initiatives focused on gender equality and social impact.

Era Shah

Era Shah is a chartered civil engineering and programme management professional working across the infrastructure and built environment.

With over a decade of experience, she has delivered on complex, high profile infrastructure programmes. This spans hands-on operational delivery as a principal contractor through to strategic programme transformation.

She now works at AECOM in programme management delivery.

Era is passionate about improving representation within engineering, serving as a STEM charity trustee, Arkwright Engineering Scholar mentor, and contributing to industry panels that champion technical excellence and social responsibility.

Malika Kapasi

With over two decades of expertise in the UK infrastructure sector, Malika Kapasi serves as the planning director and commission lead for the Mace-Amey Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) programme.

Operating at the intersection of complex project governance and strategic leadership, she's responsible for the planning and controls of a multi-billion pound rail framework.

Malika is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute who is passionate about sharing the 'unwritten rules' of the boardroom and proving that minority women can lead the UK’s most critical engineering commissions with authentic identity and commercial grit.

From conversation to podcast

The three co-hosts met for the first time at the London Build Expo in 2021.

What started as a conversation between strangers quickly became something more meaningful. Despite working in different parts of the engineering and construction sector, there was an immediate sense of shared experience.

All three had navigated careers in an industry where they often felt like outliers.

They shared stories of rarely seeing people who looked like them in senior roles, of feeling the pressure to represent more than just themselves, and of wanting to make the path easier for those coming behind them.

Out of those conversations, an idea emerged.

What if there was a space for honest, unfiltered conversations about engineering, leadership and identity? What if the stories that are so often left out of industry narratives were brought to the centre instead?

That idea became the Chai & Chat Engineering podcast, which officially launched in October 2022.

Personal meets technical

Podcast guests span a wide range of roles: from engineers and project leaders to academics, entrepreneurs and change makers from across the built environment.

They'll share their career journeys, the challenges they have faced and the lessons they wish they had learned earlier.

Former guests include ICE Past President, Professor Anusha Shah, alongside many others who are shaping the future of the profession.

Conversations do not shy away from difficult subjects. From imposter syndrome and burnout to leadership, allyship and inclusion, episodes are grounded in lived experience and real world reflection.

By bringing personal stories alongside professional discussion, the podcast adds depth and authenticity to industry narratives that are often purely technical.

How inclusivity is built

The aim of Chai & Chat Engineering is simple: to widen the image of who engineering is for.

At a time of acute skills shortages across the sector, representation is a moral responsibility and a practical necessity.

By amplifying diverse voices and role models, the podcast seeks to inspire young people, particularly women and those from ethnic minority backgrounds, to see engineering as a place where they belong.

It also aims to support those already in the industry by normalising conversations about career progression, confidence and leadership.

For employers and institutions, including ICE members, the podcast offers insight into how inclusive cultures are built not through policy alone, but through listening, representation and everyday leadership.

Ultimately, Chai & Chat Engineering is about shaping a kinder, more representative and more sustainable future for the profession we all care deeply about.