Just in time for International Women’s Day, we are delighted to welcome three new female members to our board of trustees. They are; Katie Mawdsley, Laura Steedman and Michelle Watiki who all have first-hand experience with EDT and taking part in an EDT programme. Bringing fresh female perspective from diverse industries, we are excited to have them join our team and we look forward to welcoming them to EDT. Read on to find out more about our new trustees.
Katie Mawdsley
Katie completed her EDT Year in Industry at Procter & Gamble in 2015 - 2016, before going on to complete her MEng Chemical Engineering degree at Imperial College London. As well as confirming that Engineering was absolutely the right degree for her, her year in industry enabled her to reflect on what was important to look for in a career and employer, and formed a platform to explore other engineering opportunities, such as a related research project at University the following summer. The additional engagement and guidance from EDT also allowed her to develop her professional skills, which became important throughout her degree. Katie is now proud to be an EDT trustee, and is very excited to offer a recent graduate’s perspective to the board, and bring climate and sustainability to the agenda as our programmes evolve.
Laura Steedman
Laura attended an EDT Engineering Headstart course whilst at secondary school. This was a pivotal moment in her life, leading her to choose a career path in engineering, something which she had previously not considered. Laura went on to gain her MEng Mechanical Engineering with distinction and joined bp upon graduation, with the aspiration to influence the energy transition. To date, Laura’s career highlights include being recognised as an ‘Engineering Leadership Scholar’ by The Royal Academy of Engineering, winning the ‘IMechE Young Member of the Year’ award and ‘the Young Professional of the Year’ category at the SPE Offshore Achievement awards; all of which she claims would not have been realised without her exposure to engineering through EDT schemes. She has a passion to inspire and mentor the next generation, encouraging them to equip themselves to contribute to the ‘UN Sustainable Development Goals’. Laura hopes to bring a fresh pair of eyes to the Trustee Board, ensuring that the strategy is relevant and inclusive, whilst using the opportunity to develop her own skillset.
Michelle Watiki
Michelle gained her first experience of studying engineering within higher education during an EDT Inspire course in 2014. This sparked her initial interest in the field and led to her completing her BEng Chemical Engineering degree with a placement year at Aston University. She completed her placement year as an EDT YINI student at Rolls-Royce during 2018-2019 which led to three further offers of employment with the company. The invaluable opportunities and guidance that EDT provided her through these courses allowed her to explore the industry on both an academic and professional level. She is very passionate about giving back to the community that supported her own development and regularly volunteers for the charity. As a proud alumni and Trustee, Michelle hopes to help shape EDT so that it continues to inspire and provide impactful support to the next generation of engineers.
Julie Feest, CEO of EDT says:
“We are delighted to have Katie, Laura and Michelle join us as our new trustee members. It is wonderful to hear how taking part in our programmes was a key influential point in choosing their career, and their commitmment for joining the board to give back to the charity in order to help more young people like them. They will bring fresh insight and perspective to support us and inspire many young people to pursue their goals within STEM. We look forward to welcoming them to the board”.