“Look around you,” says Penny Marshall with obvious excitement. “Everything you see is civil engineering - this building, that bridge over there, that car.
“When you talk about the built environment, it’s everywhere. It has the ability to affect people’s lives and change their behaviour. I love the idea that you can start with a thought on a piece of paper and finish up with a fantastic creation that can make a difference to people’s lives.”
Her sentiment is easy to understand. While relatively few people make it as qualified civil engineers, everyone is shaped and influenced by the work that they do.
Perhaps it’s inevitable that Penny is keen to talk up the industry; she is, after all, the North-east director of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Her day job involves representing the interests of the 2,200 ICE members in the North-east – a third of which are on Teesside – as well as members in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Having stepped into the post last year, her aim is to grow ICE membership in these regions, influence public infrastructure policy and promote civil engineering as a viable career option to youngsters.
Penny, who was the only female undergraduate on her civil engineering degree course, says: “Historically in this country we’ve never been good at telling young people how great civil engineering is. Also there’s a belief that construction is a dirty trade and that people who are good at maths or physics should go and train to be a doctor.”
One of the industry’s greatest challenges is to change these perceptions. And it seems politicians need educating just as much as school children.
“We need investment in infrastructure because it’s so important to everyday life. A good transport network makes it possible to get to work quicker. A disproportionate amount of money is spent in London and we need a redistribution of wealth throughout the regions.”
She’ll be hoping Chancellor George Osborne honours his pledge to build a “Northern powerhouse” by investing in infrastructure and skills - a message he reiterated last week during a visit to Stockton.
But Penny has always preferred action to words. She says: “As a teenager I used to love doing stuff like canoeing and outdoor pursuits. I wasn’t a dressed up, pointy shoes type of girl.”
Born and brought up in Blackpool, she gained a civil engineering degree from Newcastle University but initially struggled to get a job as economic conditions forced firms to scale back on recruitment. She trained as a maths teacher and found work in a local high school - a “hideous” experience that made her redouble efforts to carve a career in engineering.
A graduate training programme at the now disbanded Tyne and Wear County Council provided that big break and enabled her to become a fully qualified civil engineer in the mid 1980s.
She worked in design and site roles for local authorities and Government departments, including the Highways Agency where she worked on the A19/A174 Parkway improvement programme in the late 1990s.
In 2005 she joined Government Office for the North East and moved from operations into policy, getting to know the intricacies of local area agreements and the wider built environment.
Her ICE career began in 2011, when she joined the organisation as a membership development officer. Two years later she was made interim regional director before the position was made permanent last year. Articulate, engaging and thought-provoking, she seems tailor-made for the role in an industry which few of us understand but all of us benefit from.
Questions and Answers
Who has inspired you most (could be real-life or public figure)? At a careers fair I spent half an hour talking to a chap who inspired me to consider a career in civil engineering. I’ve no idea what he was called.
Biggest achievement (personal or professional)? Becoming a chartered civil engineer when most girls wouldn’t try it. On a personal level, bringing up my two kids, 25 year-old Louise and Alistair, 27.
What car do you drive? A Nissan Qashqai made here in the North-east.
What’s your favourite food? Fiorentina pizza - joy on a plate!
Favourite tipple? Red wine.
Favourite music? Traditional folk music, although I have quite an eclectic taste.
Who or what makes you laugh? Bill Bailey’s slightly surreal comedy.
What’s your ideal job, other than the one you’ve got? A gardener - I’ve always liked the outdoors.
Favourite job you’ve actually had? Working as a deckchair attendant on Blackpool beach at 17.
What’s your greatest fear? Something bad happening to my kids.
What’s the best piece of business advice you have ever received? Be honest and own up to your mistakes.
And the worst? Bury your mistakes!
What’s your business mantra? Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork. You can’t do anything on your own in engineering.
How much was your first pay packet and what was it for? £1.79 working as a Saturday girl in Boots on the birthday card counter. I was 14.
What’s your biggest extravagance? Eating pizza!
How do you relax and unwind? Walking and generally being outdoors.
Where is your favourite Teesside place? I have a soft spot for Darlington and love walking on Saltburn beach.
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