SUCCESSFUL WOMEN IN WIND CLAIRE COOPER MEng
Senior Project Manager & Business Development - H&Askham Ltd
EXPERIENCE
I was well equipped to undertake the role of Project Manager for H&Askham Ltd as a result of both professional and academic experience. I have a well-rounded knowledge of electrical installation systems and submarine cables from my training at the prestigious BICC Cables and Pirelli Cables (now Prysmian) in addition to the completion of a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
THE COMPANY
H&Askham is a high voltage electrical installation company who have, over the past three years, extended their portfolio from land based projects to become a well established name in the offshore wind market, both in the UK and Europe.
As we launched a division to focus solely on the Renewables Energy market my role within the organisation evolved to work closely with the Director of Engineering to specifically look at the business development in this area.
We have have gone from strength to strength in the offshore wind market and I am proud to be part of the team responsible for securing and executing contracts for a number of projects. These included Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, The London Array Wind Farm, and more recently BARD and Borkum West II Wind Parks in Germany.
EXCITING FUTURE
I believe the Renewable Energy Market has an exciting future ahead and I am currently working on tenders and contracts for a number of other projects for H&Askham to further enhance their resumé and continue to develop my own knowledge and skills in this area.
PASSION AND BELIEF I firmly believe in the cause of the renewable energy market; beyond this my passion for engineering drives me to work and contribute to notable causes such as renewable energy, so that companies like H&Askham can succeed in these endeavours.
Britain is famous for its engineering prowess; however in recent years with economic turmoil in industrial sectors and strong competition from abroad,
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www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
This in spite of the domestic market and skills pool being able to deliver, the products and services are being outsourced. H&Askham were a small company that, through commitment and the delivery of excellent services, were recognised by some key players in the offshore wind supply chain to be an asset to their projects.
H&Askham has now built on these foundations and our reputation precedes us.
CONTINUED GROWTH
As the organisation continues to grow it is my wish that we serve as an example to other companies in Britain of what can be achieved, and that the barriers to entry into this booming market should not be feared. Now an integral part of the supply chain we consciously endeavour to, where possible, source local labour and products for our projects. This ensures we play our part in the development of the communities and environments we work amongst, in turn ensuring that the contribution this industry provides to our economical revival is widespread.
OPPORTUNITIES
I am greatly enjoying the opportunities working for H&Askham has given me. Being part of a growing industry is exciting and it is inspirational for there to be such a ‘buzz’ and renewed interested in engineering, manufacturing and development of new technologies.
ENGINEERING – A CAREER CHOICE Throughout my studies year on year I saw a fall in the number of students for applying engineering related courses. As a result I have always been ardent in promoting working in this field to others. This perhaps is also attributed to having my family roots in engineering, with my father running a small manufacturing company, that I have also worked for. It was from my experiences at AR Engineering Industries that I first became actively involved with purposefully working to encourage young people to consider engineering as a career choice.
APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME For AR Engineering I launched an apprenticeship scheme and have since continued to regularly visit schools and
colleges to give talks and presentations about the wide scope of opportunities the engineering industry has to offer.
A WOMAN IN ENGINEERING In particular though I believe it is very important to focus on raising awareness of this field amongst women. From leaving an all girls secondary school I entered into a male dominated environment. I wasn’t fazed by this, engineering had always been part of my life, and so, I was actually very surprised to find how few women I was now studying and working alongside.
I am now often called upon for my opinion and comment as a woman in engineering, which reinforces to me the idea that I still retain a ‘novelty’ value in the field. It is my hope that this situation will one day become redundant; that increasing numbers of successful female engineers will cause questions about gender in the industry to become obsolete.
SUCCESS
The teams and companies that succeed in any field are those based on the integration of different ideas and attitudes that both compliment and cause re- thinking or re-interpretation.
Engineering has always attracted me because it is a field based on possibility and potential, on problem solving and thought, and the area of Renewables is certainly no exception. I remain proud of my achievement in this field, and of Engineering as a whole, where the opportunity for success can be extended to all individuals, man or woman.
H&Askham
www.handajointing.co.uk
even projects taking place within Britain have been dominated by overseas organisations.
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