Antje Budge, a Nantwich-based civil engineer, has been named one of the most influential women in the UK engineering sector.
To mark International Women in Engineering Day, in collaboration with the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), the Daily Telegraph has published the Top 50 Women in Engineering (WE50). The theme for 2018 has been ‘Returners or Transferrers’, celebrating women who have either returned after a break of at least 18 months or have transferred to engineering from another sector.
Antje Budge, who is a chartered member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and actively involved in the local Cheshire branch, believes that volunteering was an invaluable way of staying up-to-date with the industry and keeping her CV relevant.
Commenting on her inclusion in the WE50, Antje Budge, said:
“I am so honoured to be included, along with all the other women flying the flag for a more diverse engineering workforce. Balfour Beatty’s Returners Programme allowed me to get back to work, in a role that utilises my training and experience. Compared to before my career break, my life feels more balanced now and I’d urge others to explore routes back into this brilliant profession.”
Wendy Blundell, ICE Director UK Regions, said:
“I am delighted to see that once again, ICE members are well represented in the Telegraph Top 50 and on behalf of ICE would like to offer congratulations to Antje and the other women who have made it onto the list.
“ICE is proud to support International Women in Engineering Day, particularly in our bicentenary year as we seek to encourage more people to join our profession, including members of society who are currently under-represented. Among our many initiatives, we have seen success in our ‘Civils Comeback’ internship scheme for engineers returning to work after having children and we continue to work with schools to promote civil engineering as a rewarding and creative career.”