Georgia Thompson

We asked Georgia…

I would recommend a career in civil engineering because…

It’s so varied.

There are so many different types of roles in civil engineering. There will always be something to suit your personal skillset and interests.

Complete this phrase: I’m a civil engineer, but I’m also…

A hiker, a muay thai(er), climber, reader, dancer and pink lover.

What about being a civil engineer gets you out of bed each morning?

I love knowing that there will be something delivered by my work, and that I contribute to making society a better place.

What’s one great thing that you love about civil engineering that you didn’t know until you started working in the industry?

Engineering isn’t just buildings and bridges.

I started out my career in utilities, which I didn’t realise supports almost everything I do.

From turning the lights out at night to brushing my teeth and checking my wi-fi connection is working.

Which civil engineering project (past or present) do you wish you’d worked on?

Silvertown Tunnel! When I was at university, I read the feasibility study as I was designing a bridge from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight.

It’s amazing to see something come to life.

Name one civil engineering myth you’d like to bust.

Engineering is hard.

Isn’t everything in this world that’s worth having a little difficult?

You also don’t need to be super smart, just smart enough to apply yourself in the right ways.

Has civil engineering helped you overcome any personal hurdles/difficulties?

I’ve found a community of people who love trains as much as I do! I always thought I was weird, and so did my friends. But who knew - they’re the weird ones!

How can you not love trains?

Any personal causes?

Inclusion is something I stumbled on as I entered the industry.

Going into schools, universities, conferences and events is a big part of what I do.

There aren’t a lot of women, particularly of Black and Asian descent in the industry. This showed me how important inclusion is.

To feel welcomed and accepted for who you are is so important to our wellbeing.

Over the years I've taken up book clubs and led webinar series on the importance of employee resource groups, how racism can show up at work, and how to contribute to improving workplace culture.

I co-founded an organisation called Dversty that focused on the inclusion of people from diverse groups.

We were able to set up a mentoring programme between Rolls Royce and the University of West England.

That was a big highlight for me, as I got to see how the students and mentors developed over the nine month programme.

I’m currently managing a project with Engineers Without Borders called the Advocacy Programme. It’s designed to support engineers in putting globally responsibility at the heart of what we do.

They have four pillars: regenerative, responsible, inclusive, and purposeful. I’m lucky enough to be supporting the inclusivity pillar as well as the programme as a whole!