
White secured the title of Young Achiever at the First Women Awards 2015, which took place at the London Marriott Hotel on 11 June.
The particular title was a hotly contested one because it comprised businesswomen from numerous industries all vying for the same prize. While White represented engineering, she also had competition from female leaders in the sharing economy, finance and technology. As such, White admitted during an interview with Real Business that she was especially shocked to have won because she was going up against such a variety. She studied Mechanical Engineering at university and was led along that particular path because of a love for two particular subjects. “It started with enjoying maths and physics. I didn’t know I always wanted to be an engineer, but I enjoyed the logic and challenges involved, so I looked for a degree that had that kind of content. It was really by chance,” she revealed. The course opened up a wide range of disciplines White could have pursued, from motoring to aviation with the likes of Bentley and British Airways. However, having started her career with Network Rail during a summer placement as part of a university programme, her path had taken shape. Interestingly, the firm was chosen on the basis that it was near to White’s home – demonstrable use of logic indeed. University set the scene for what White’s career would be like, with women accounting for just ten per cent of the students on the Mechanical Engineering course, which had 60 men.Read more on the First Women Awards:
- Creative Visions Global’s CEO on combining business and media to create a positive impact
- Clare Balding leads the way during First Women celebration of female business leaders
White admitted that working in a male-dominated sector like engineering can “absolutely at times” be a challenge. “I think you get as many supportive people as you do challenging people. The good guys recognised other guys find it difficult to work with women and give you more help,” she said.
“There’s no doubt that when I went to work alongside hands-on electrical engineers or design officers they weren’t sure how to talk to me. They’re uncomfortable as they assume they need to change behaviours. It just takes a little time for them to warm. “I was just consistent in myself and behaviour, and in days people relax. I think it starts with a misconception that because you’re a woman, you expect them to adapt their language. I’m not going to pretend it’s easy.”Read more on engineering:
- HS2 reaches out to female students to help girls into engineering careers
- Charlie Mullins: Any initiative encouraging more girls into our sector should be embraced
- £12m for Imperial College to launch Dyson School of Design Engineering
While at HS2, Alison Munro, formerly the CEO of the organisation and now MD and executive board member, was someone that White looked up to.
“I can highlight at every stepping stone in my career people that have seen qualities in me, encouraged and given opportunities that have led to new roles,” White explained. “Alison Munro was a big inspiration – a strong and genuine leader that created an open, honest collaborative environment. Coming from a heavy engineering background at Network Rail with 35,000 people, that was breath of fresh air.”Share this story