Season 3 | Episode 6 – Places She Shapes with Zoe Smeeth

Emma Foster knew she wanted to be involved in buildings from the moment a careers advisor wrote the word "architect" on a piece of paper. She went to Liverpool, realised within days that architecture wasn't quite right, and spent the rest of her degree quietly working out what was.

Emma is now Principal at BGO, overseeing the design and construction of major development projects across Central London, including a half a million square foot office development at 105 Victoria Street. She got there via Mace, Goldman Sachs, Tishman Speyer, and a code word involving a monkey.

This episode is full of moments that will resonate. Being thrown in the deep end as a 23-year-old PM on a major school project with no real blueprint. Being told "don't run before you can walk" the day she handed in her notice. The worst interview of her career for a job she absolutely should have got, and did, because someone in the room backed her anyway.

Emma is thoughtful, driven and completely honest about the moments that shaped her. Including the ones where she had no idea what she was doing and did it anyway.

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This season, we're delighted to be supported by Cripps, a Top 100 UK law firm proud to champion female leaders and help drive meaningful change.