International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) this year celebrates ‘Together we Engineer’ and the power of collaboration and diverse perspectives in tackling engineering challenges. We spoke to five inspiring female engineers from our team about their journeys, daily work, and what this year’s theme means to them. This is the second part of our series, read the first blog here.
Rhona Marsland – Head of Operations
After studying Civil Engineering at the University of Glasgow, Rhona worked in engineering consultancy before becoming a Chartered Civil Engineer and Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Now leading ORR’s Specialist Operations Team, Rhona’s days are wonderfully varied. “No two days are the same!” she says. “In my career I have been fortunate that a typical day could be on site in the beautiful remote parts of Scotland or working on new infrastructure projects in urban environments.”
Her team covers everything from earthworks asset management to rail worker fatigue, drawing on her extensive industry expertise.
When asked about this year’s INWED theme, Rhona emphasises: “For me, it’s collaboration. We cannot work in silos; teams deliver their best work together.”
Among her career highlights, Rhona particularly enjoyed working on the Réseau Express Métropolitain in Montréal. “Engineering is universal and working on a project in another country with a diverse team of individuals meant we delivered good solutions together.”
Her advice for aspiring engineers is refreshingly straightforward: “Say ‘yes’ to every opportunity and you’ll never stop learning.”
Jenny Hamilton – Engineer
Jenny’s path to engineering came about through serendipity. “I became an Engineer through chance. My parents spotted the British Rail apprenticeship in the Herald and were fed up with me taking things apart at home so said I should at least get paid for it,” she shares with a smile. Despite being accepted to university to study veterinary medicine, the railway apprenticeship advert captured her attention – a decision that shaped her entire career.
Her natural curiosity has always been a driving force: “I have always loved knowing how things work from machines to humans and animals.” This inquisitiveness serves her well in a role where no two days are alike.
“A day is never standard, always something to do. My mind is constantly on the go so early rises never bother me,” Jenny explains. Her work encompasses everything from analysing asset failure patterns to conducting site visits for new installations and contributing to safety investigations.
When asked about this year’s INWED theme, Jenny emphasises the collaborative nature of engineering excellence: “Together we engineer means to me working on an issue using our key strengths as a team. Whether that is getting insights and evidence for the periodic reviews through to demonstrating, from materials gathered, the key factors behind an incident.”
Rather than focusing on a single project, Jenny finds satisfaction in seeing tangible outcomes: “I like to be able to see the results of the work done and the knowledge or benefits it brings.”
Her advice to future engineers blends pragmatism with encouragement: “Keep your minds open to possibilities but your feet anchored to the facts. And remember that a lot of the time you are better than you think you are!”
As we celebrate International Women in Engineering Day 2025, these stories highlight how engineering thrives through diverse perspectives and collaboration. From railways to earthworks, our engineers demonstrate that working together across different backgrounds creates better solutions. Together, we’re engineering a safer, more innovative future for Britain’s transport infrastructure.
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