INWED 2020 #ShapingTheWorld - Together we can shape a better, more inclusive world for all

This week we join together to mark International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) and to celebrate the incredible impact that women in our industry are making in communities around the world.

The busy reality of day to day life can sometimes cause us to lose sight of the important work happening throughout our industry - work that is genuinely helping to build a better tomorrow. INWED is an opportunity to pause and reflect on our purpose as an industry, and to recognize the many brilliant women who drive us forward.  

I’m fortunate to count many of these women among our team at Jacobs: Just last week, we shared that, as the world awaits a cure for the novel Coronavirus, we’re leading a rapid retrofit of AstraZeneca’s West Chester, Ohio facility, to deliver a potential COVID-19 vaccine. This project is headed by three of my female colleagues - Lindsay Gerding; Sustaining Capital Task Force Program Manager, Mayme Brusoe; Life Sciences Manager of Construction, and Amy Gardner; Project Controls Manager– a powerhouse trio who together with their colleagues, are leveraging their expertise to make AstraZeneca’s ambition a reality. They are matched by many others across the business, like Julie Chang; Divisional Vice President, Director of New York Operations who is leading our Jacobs NY team of over 500 professionals, providing consulting, planning, design and construction services for critical infrastructure projects on the US East Coast, like the rehabilitation of the L-Train Canarsie Tunnel and the new LaGuardia Airport. Speaking of LaGuardia, Jessica Forse, herself a force to be reckoned with is the Program Manager for the LaGuardia Airport Redevelopment Program, working with The Port Authority of NY&NJ to construct an entirely new 21st century airport on top of the existing active airport. 

Of course, days like INWED are about more than celebrating exceptional female talent; they are about recognizing the power of diversity. And this year, as millions of people all over the world stand together to speak out and condemn racial injustice, it’s a stark reminder of the importance of equality and how far from reality this is for many.

INWED’s theme for 2020 is #ShapingtheWorld. As an industry, we’re privileged to play a role in shaping the world every day, whether it’s through our culture and how we live our values, or through the solutions we deliver for clients. Now more than ever, we have a responsibility to champion Inclusion & Diversity across our industry; it’s not only critical to doing our best work for clients, it’s at the heart of our purpose to create a better tomorrow.

This week, I encourage everyone to celebrate the brilliant work carried out by the inspiring women in our industry and to remind ourselves that we have the power to shape the world to make it a better, more inclusive place for all.