Hinkley Point C trio among best in Europe

A trio from EDF Energy’s Hinkley Point C has been honoured at the prestigious European Women in Construction and Engineering Awards, with the project’s Sukhy Hogwood being named as the 2017 Best Woman in Health and Safety.

Sukhy, who is Technical Safety Manager, beat six other safety professionals in her category to win the title.

The annual awards are designed to find the most exemplary women within construction and engineering across Europe.

Kate Brady, Information Systems Programme Manager, was a finalist in the Best Woman Project Manager category and Sarah Williamson, Technical Director for project partner BYLOR, was also a finalist in the Best Woman Structural Engineer section.

All three had to undergo a vigorous judging process at the finalists’ ceremony held at London’s Waldorf Hilton before the grand final this week.

They had to give a presentation, answer questions and convince the 58 judges to give them top marks.

Sukhy, who has worked for EDF Energy since 2010, said: “It was fantastic to win this award and an honour and a privilege to be part of it.

“As a winner I want to inspire more women to work in construction – to believe in themselves and to have the self-assurance to break down any barriers they face.”

Sukhy, who is a full-time working mum to three-year-old twin girls, ensures the right behaviours and cultures are embedded at site to enable top performance across the team.

She added: “My career hasn’t been an easy journey; it’s been a labour of love, so to win for something I enjoy doing, on a project that will positively impact generations to come, is the ultimate honour.

“It’s given me confidence in my abilities as a safety professional and to recognise that I’m making a difference to the industry.”

Although both Kate and Sarah were pipped at the post for an award, they still beat scores of other nominees to secure a place in the final.

“My role is to deliver IT and telecoms, so to get recognition for an enabling function is immense,” said Kate.

“It underpins the value of all the periphery suppliers to the project and makes me feel incredibly proud.”

Sarah is currently the construction engineering lead for BYLOR at the Hinkley Point C site and has been instrumental in driving the 3D model for the main civil works on the project.

Women continue to represent only 11% of the construction workforce in the UK with most of these jobs being office based and only 2% in manual jobs.

The aim of the awards is to inspire more women to join the sector by creating role models and encouraging companies to employ and train more women in the industry.