SheCanEngineer

Dr Nike Folayan MBE (PhD, CEng, FIET, HonFREng) is a Chartered Electronics Engineer, Technical Director and Technical Discipline Leader for Communications and Control at WSP, leading complex transport and infrastructure projects globally. She is Chair and Co-Founder of the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK), a pioneering organisation that has supported more than 20,000 people pursuing careers in engineering and technology. A respected advocate for equity, inclusion and engineering excellence, Nike serves on numerous advisory boards and has been recognised among the UK's most influential women in engineering. She was awarded an MBE for services to diversity in engineering and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.If you want to find out more about some of the things Nike talks about, here are some links:AfBE: Inspiring diversity in engineering | AFBE-UKAfBE Live: AFBELive 2026 - The Future of Engineering: From Access to Equity

The Face of Engineering: The Face of Engineering - The Common Room

Guest: Mohammad Shana’a

He/Him

CEO – Morta Technology Ltd

This episode of the SheCanEngineer Podcast is proudly sponsored by Morta.

In this episode of the SheCanEngineer Podcast, we’re joined by Mohammed Shana’a, CEO and Co-Founder of Morta, for a conversation about the future of the built environment and the role people, data and technology can play in changing the way the industry works.

Mo shares his journey from civil engineering and project controls to founding Morta, reflecting on the early stages of his career and the frustrations that ultimately inspired him to build a different way of working.

We explore why so many engineers enter the industry only to find themselves spending more time managing spreadsheets and information than solving engineering problems, and how disconnected data and systems can make it difficult for project teams to understand how their projects are really performing.

Mo also discusses what he sees as a wider trust problem within the built environment, why digital transformation often falls short when technology is imposed from the top down, and why meaningful change has to start with the people doing the work every day.

We also discuss the opportunities for the next generation of engineers to challenge the way things have always been done, how AI could shape the industry, and what actually encourages people to embrace new technology in their day-to-day work.

From spreadsheets and AI to trust, sustainability and industry-wide change, this episode explores what it will take to build a smarter, more connected built environment - and why technology may provide the tools, but people will ultimately drive the transformation.

Connect with Mo - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mshanaa/⁠

Learn more about Morta - ⁠https://www.morta.io/⁠

Guest: Fiona Cousins

She/Her

Arup Fellow | Chief Operating Officer – Total Design

Fiona is Arup's Global Chief Operating Officer for Total Design, an Executive Director on the Arup Group Board, and served as CIBSE President from 2024 to 2025 with the presidential theme Building Performance Reimagined.

She leads the development of Arup's Total Design approach, combining technical excellence, digital innovation, and multidisciplinary collaboration to deliver practical, sustainable solutions for clients. Prior to her current role, Fiona held several leadership positions across the Americas, including Chair of Arup Americas, Global Automation Leader, Chair of the Digital Council, and Digital and Resilience Business Leader.

A professional mechanical engineer and Arup Fellow, Fiona has delivered landmark projects including the US Embassy in London, Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech, and Perez Art Museum Miami. She is a recognised thought leader in sustainability, building performance, energy, carbon reduction, and climate action, and is a frequent speaker to industry and academic audiences.

In this episode, Fiona had an open conversation with Sam and Ruth, New Podcast co-hosts, about her career, her Leadership Journey and her love for Kayak.If you want to find out more about some of the things Fiona talks about, here are some links:- Building Performance Reimagined: Building Performance Reimagined project- Kayaking: Post | LinkedIn

Robbie Graham is a graduate Human Factors Consultant working for Amentum. Having studied Product Design Engineering at the University of Glasgow and the Glasgow School of Art, Robbie uses his creative experience to approach new engineering problems in a holistic way, citing his development of soft skills through university as one of the most important skills you can have in the Human Factors industry.

In this episode, Lucy - one of SheCanEngineer's new podcast hosts chats to Robbie about his interesting path into engineering, his community work in bringing art and creative classes and exhibitions to refugees, and his (and Lucy's) experiences of university life during the COVID pandemic.

Robbie also talks about his cool projects, combining art and science to understand materials. From creating ceramics from oyster shells (growing up in in the west coast of Scotland!) to kinetic sculptures using bioluminescent algae!

If you want to find out more about some of the things Robbie talks about, here are some links:

• https://www.ascus.org.uk/ - the UK’s first publicly accessible Art & Science Lab.
• "3607” exhibition by artist Kexin Liu: examines microorganisms living in the human body and their impact on our sense of “self”. Named after the number of bacteria species detected in her body, the series aims to challenge human individuality and celebrate the millions of tiny organisms that make up our identity. Her work includes a soundscape derived from bacterial sequences, textiles dyed with pigmented bacteria, and a visual representation of human-bacteria interactions.”
• Robbie's Instagram Art Account: https://www.instagram.com/greys__gallery/

This episode is sponsored by Frazer Nash Consultancy, who are proud to be a SheCanEngineer Silver sponsor.

In this episode, we discuss the variety of projects Sally works on - from washing powders, medical devices, and the Hadron Collider! We also highlight all the things Sally gets involved with outside of work, how they enhance her role as an engineer and consultant, and how empowering it is that her employer is fully supportive of all of these, embracing her skills, experience and innovation that comes with them.

Black History Month is celebrated in October in the UK; as we close out October, we want to carry on the conversations, around the theme 'Reclaiming Narratives'

Guests:

Kierra Grant is a Chemical and Process Engineering student at London South Bank University with hands-on Internship experience in the Engineering industry. She has interned at Britvic, contributing to sustainability initiatives, energy calculations, and safety protocols. Kierra has led the design of a Heat Exchanger using Aspen HYSYS and has been invited to represent Britvic at the D&I FMCG 2024 conference. As a volunteer Ambassador for SheCanEngineer, she actively promotes STEM careers for women.

Ruth is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with over a decade of experience in both France and the UK, and is currently a Senior Mechanical Engineer at chapmanbdsp, an engineering consultancy.

Ruth chairs the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Young Engineers Network (YEN), which provides a platform for new thinking, novel approaches to design and knowledge exchange and ensures that young engineers engage more closely with our professional institution at an early stage in their careers.

Ruth is also the Chair of CIBSE Home Counties South West Region, which is a regional London committee aiming to support HQ in interactions with regional members and provide technical Training.

She is also a member of CIBSE Council, and a Member of CIBSE Minority Ethnic Groups Panel.

Ruth is a STEM Ambassador, and an active member of the SheCanEngineer Committee.

The first half of 2024 has been a little manic! Not least because SheCanEngineer formally became registered as a charity! Following our Charity launch event in January 2024, we have busy doing exciting things, and planning the future of SheCanEngineer!

Two of our two newest committee members join us to tell us why they decided to join SheCanEngineer, and what they have been up to, as well as what SheCanEngineer has been up to, and have planned!

Guests:

Natalia Adamson is a Project Engineer; she leads project delivery in the Vehicle Emissions Research Centre, overseeing whole vehicle emissions and electric consumption testing. Her expertise in certification testing ensures that test procedures meet stringent regulatory requirements, guaranteeing the accuracy and reliability of results. In addition to her technical role, Natalia actively engages in commercial work, managing projects from inception to completion, and being the dedicated Single Point of Contact for several major projects. 

Natalia is deeply involved in the engineering community. As a Co-opted member of the IMechE's Young Members Board, she plays a key role in shaping the future of her Institution, focusing on governance strategies and initiatives to empower emerging engineers. Through her involvement, Natalia aims to foster an environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity within the engineering field.

As a STEM ambassador, Natalia shares her passion for engineering by inspiring the next generation of professionals.

Natalie Collcutt is a Senior Building Services Engineer at Watkins Payne. She is a mechanically biased engineer with over a decade of experience in the construction industry. With an interesting background completing her degree as part of an apprenticeship, Natalie has  a diverse range of experiences in both residential and commercial projects, spanning from feasibility studies to project completion.

Passionate about promoting engineering and construction careers by being a STEM Ambassador, Natalie actively collaborates with CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) and STEM Learning to inspire the next generation of engineers.

In this episode, we discuss parental (maternity) leave, and our guests Emma and Diana share their experiences and insights into how organisations can better support expectant parents and when they return to work. Through our discussion, it is clear that it is different for everyone, so flexibility in support is essential.

Emma has worked at Thames Water for almost 8 years, predominantly within Talent Management, HR. Emma is also a lead for one of the work streams within the Women’s Network - leading on the most recent campaign which will focus on supporting women returning back to the work place after maternity leave. This is looking at ways to improve processes through a variety of different initiatives, ensuring that mothers are supported as much as possible and that managers feel they too have support in place/understand the complexities. Outside of work she enjoys time with her sweet 3 year old boy, good coffee, and long, sunny walks (preferably with coffee in hand).

We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did! We would love to hear from you and anything you would like to share on this topic!

SheCanEngineer team

We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did! We would love to hear from you and anything you would like to share on this topic!

SheCanEngineer team

We are back with another episode! Join us as we discuss apprenticeships with Sarah-Jane (SJ) and Lequesha, two fabulous Engineers who both started their careers with an apprenticeship.

Lequesha was born in Goa, India and moved to the UK at a young age. She recently secured a degree apprenticeships with Rolls Royce where she is currently working on drones and 3D printing.

SJ started her career over 20 years ago as an apprentice and completed an engineering technician apprenticeships with BAE Systems. She has worked on numerous aspects of the engineering lifecycle and is currently seconded to the MoD as a Programme Director.

In this episode we discuss the perception of apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships and its changing narrative. SJ and Lequesha also highlight the wide variety of apprenticeships in every industry as well as the disparity in apprenticeships in the North and South of England.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did! We would love to hear from you and anything you would like to share on this topic!

SheCanEngineer team