Wood’s Michelle Johnson recognised as one of the UK’s Top 50 Women in Engineering

In celebration of International Women in Engineering Day, the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) has announced the winners of the 2020 Top 50 Women in Engineering: Sustainability awards (WE50).

Now in its fifth year, the WE50 honours women who are leading significant efforts to drive sustainability in the industry. Michelle Johnson, municipal water director for Wood in the UK, is amongst this year’s list of winners – recognised for successfully supporting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal to increase access to clean drinking water and sanitation.

Becoming a change-maker

Today Michelle brings her passion and energy to solving the challenges of water infrastructure and keeping taps flowing reliably. Her journey in engineering began at 14-years-old when she learned about the man who discovered gravity: Isaac Newton. Captivated by the laws of motion, Michelle hungered to know more about the universal force of attraction, how inertia holds the world together and why sound waves travel faster in water than in air.

Impressed by her inquisitive nature, infectious passion and ability to see the world through a different lens, Michelle’s physics teacher encouraged her to explore a career in engineering. With the help of her teacher, Michelle got involved with the Royal Academy of Engineering and discovered all the ways she could apply ingenuity to solve the world’s most critical challenges. In that defining moment, Michelle knew she would be an engineer.

“It inspired me to see the profound role engineers play in improving quality of life, from enhancing transportation to cleaning and protecting water for the future,” said Michelle. “I knew that engineering would allow me to use my problem-solving capabilities to make the world a more sustainable place to live in.”

Michelle joined Wood more than 20 years ago as an assistant consultant engineer after graduating from the University of Leeds with a master’s degree in civil engineering. Michelle says a key part of being an engineer is figuring out the problem in the world you are most passionate about solving. After examining the vast array of global challenges, she decided to shape her career around conserving and protecting the Earth’s most finite resource: water.

“As an open water swimmer and avid kayaker, I’ve always had a strong passion and love for water,” said Michelle. “Water is a vital natural resource, yet billions of people – especially those in remote areas – lack access to a clean, safe and dependable water supply. The haunting reality of this issue motivated me to focus my efforts on helping communities establish and maintain the supply of water.”

Michelle later progressed to the role of a technical director, pioneering long-term strategies and solutions to develop new water systems, as well as expand and rehabilitate existing infrastructure. Over the course of her career, she has led more than 100 projects, from feasibility through to construction, delivering large, complex programmes to optimise the design of water and wastewater treatment plants.

Shaping the world

Today, Michelle is the municipal water lead in the UK for Wood and framework design director for both Northumbrian Water Limited (NWL) and Yorkshire Water Limited (YW). She leads a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team to improve wastewater infrastructure and water quality standards, as well as build a climate-resilient framework that ensures new and upgraded infrastructure can withstand future environmental stresses.

One of the greatest achievements in Michelle’s career has been being elected as a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in 2019, the highest grade of ICE membership and a benchmark for those practicing at the top level within the profession. In the same year, Michelle won a Northumbrian Water award for best ‘Individual Contribution’ on the framework, citing she was a key asset and delivers tasks with extreme enthusiasm.

When she’s not busy working to secure the future of water, Michelle devotes her time to championing STEM education at local schools, promoting apprenticeship training schemes and mentoring junior-level engineers. As a leader in the industry, she believes it’s her responsibility to lift up the thinkers of tomorrow and help build a sustainable and diverse pipeline of future leaders in STEM.

“A key component of shaping the world is encouraging the next generation to create a resilient future through harnessing the power of STEM,” Michelle revealed. “Our industry needs more diverse voices who add creative thought and unique perspectives to critical business challenges. That’s why I work hard to build the confidence of young girls and encourage them to explore careers in engineering.”

After devoting her life to creating sustainable change in communities and uplifting tomorrow’s engineers, Michelle said it’s an honour to receive recognition for her hard work, dedication and achievements.

“The WE50 awards are an excellent way to raise the profile of women in engineering, and I hope this will inspire more young women to pursue a viable and rewarding career in STEM,” Michelle said. “Women add value to our industry, and together we have the power to use our divergent thinking and inventive spirit to shape a better world.”

Joe Sczurko, CEO of Wood’s Technical Consulting Solutions business, adds: “I am fortunate to get the opportunity to work with Michelle and celebrate her remarkable achievements.  She has built a tremendously successful career by taking her personal passions and enthusiastically finding how to apply her technical background and provide benefits the broader society.  Michelle’s energy, coupled with her impressive intellect, has allowed Wood to bring more differentiated and innovative solutions to our client’s challenges, as well as add significant value by reducing costs, increasing productivity, and improving quality. I am inspired by the work Michelle does and the interesting perspective she brings to projects. She is a true leader in Wood, and a very worthy recipient of the WES Top 50 Women in Engineering award.”