Inez Plugge Porter

We asked Inez…

I would recommend a career in civil or infrastructure engineering because…

Every project has its own challenges to solve and questions to ask. My understanding of hydraulics and civil engineer is constantly evolving.

It's exciting to be working on projects at the forefront of innovation which push you to learn at every corner.

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

A keen netball player and captain of our office team!

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

Civil engineering isn’t all about bridges and concrete. There are so many interesting specialism areas that aren’t structural: water, geotechnical, contaminated land, hydraulics, to name a few!

How does your role contribute to addressing climate change?

Water security is increasingly becoming a problem, particularly where I live in the East of England.

Climate change will cause the quantity, quality, reliability and availability of water sources to change.

We’ll see more extreme and frequent flooding in some areas and droughts in others.

By working in this industry, I hope to ensure that water is managed properly and is available in the quantity and quality needed, when and where we need it.

How does your role contribute to making the industry more diverse and inclusive?

I went to an inner-city state school with a diverse socio-economic, religious and racial group of students.

The opportunities available at my school, particularly within STEM, were minimal. I had to take my own path into civil engineering.

I believe that there was so much untapped potential at my school.

Now that I have a platform at Mott MacDonald to do something about this, I try to teach as many local school children as possible about civil engineering.

I hope this will inspire a new generation of civil engineers and tap into those unreached and under privileged pockets of potential who will bring unique perspectives to the industry.

What role does digital technology play in your job?

As a CFD specialist, I use a lot of software.

I’m constantly trying to improve my coding skills to make post processing (improving the quality and accuracy of the models) and data analysis more efficient. This involves learning a lot of programming languages, like Python, MATLAB, and VBA.

I also worked on the development of Mott MacDonald’s very own hydraulic profiler tool which performs calculations for systems such as water treatment works.

This has increased the efficiency of our hydraulic calculations!

What motivated you, or is motivating you, to become professionally qualified?

I love working towards a milestone or qualification. I think it’s important to quantify the work you’ve done and skills you’ve acquired.

Growing up as a woman in STEM, I found that a solid qualification really evidenced that I was capable and deserving.

Being chartered proves that you’ve got a certain level of aptitude and competence.

For me, getting chartered consolidates, as much to myself as other people, all the hard work I’ve put in over the last 10 years.

What does being professionally qualified with the ICE mean for your career?

A lot of projects, particularly international projects, require a certain level of experience to work on them. Chartership is a key indicator of this.

It also means that you’re a more desirable employee because clients will pay more for you and therefore your company can make more money.

This also means that you have more flexibility with where you work. If you want to move to another country, it’s a lot easier to find jobs there when you’re chartered!

The ICE, in particular, has an excellent international reputation. I, for one, am planning to use this once chartered to travel the world through work!

How did the ICE and your employer support you to become professionally qualified?

I attend quarterly meetings with my delegated engineer to go over the work I’ve done and the skills I’ve acquired.

We discuss what else I can do to strengthen my skills even more.

We also have annual reviews to check in on our progress with our supervising civil engineers as well.

There are many webinars you can attend through the ICE to help you understand what you need to do to develop your attributes and skills for chartership.

What’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed from studying to working in engineering?

At university, I struggled a lot with my mental health and always felt that whatever I did wasn’t enough.

Friends who have since gone into academia still relate to this. No matter how hard you push, there’s always something more you could be doing.

I found it to be a very toxic place for me.

I've had the opposite experience in the industry: hard work is rewarded and recognised, and my team are immensely supportive of what I do.

I even hear the words “You’ve been here late every day this week, it’s time for you to go home.”

It’s a world away from academia and I really enjoy the work-life balance I now have.

What’s the biggest/most complex thing you’ve made out of Lego?

I’m more of a jigsaw person! I can complete a 1,000-piece one in a matter of hours and will get so completely wrapped up in them that I forget to get up to eat or drink for the whole day!

Do you have any hobbies?

Socialising and sports are very important for my work-life balance. Mott MacDonald is such a great company for this.

We have endless clubs at work to try out new sports. In the last two years, I’ve taken up five-a-side football, lacrosse, running, frisbee and netball.

We also have a country-wide sports day every year where offices compete against each other to take home a trophy.

I recently won the Mottathlon which consists of egg-and-spoon, three-legged and sack races.

I’ve also taken up running with the support of my work colleagues.

My mental health post-university has completely turned around thanks to the friends I’ve made at work through all of these sports and social events.

I honestly couldn’t imagine working for another company!