Paula Walsh, Chair of Arup: Yes, I'm the Woman Boss in Engineering
My Duvet Flip by Jack Parsons
Jack Parsons
4.2 • 5 Ratings
🗓️ 9 January 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Check out the latest careers at easyJet: https://bit.ly/3yCRlNS
Episode Guest
Paula Walsh, Chair of Arup meets with Jack Parsons (Jackson) UK's Chief Youth Officer.
Timestamps
0:00 What’s the best advice for someone struggling to find their passion?
0:19 Why are place and people important in choosing a career?
0:30 Who is Paula Walsh, and what’s her career background?
0:43 Why is engineering described as a mix of creation and problem-solving?
0:55 How does it feel to see the tangible results of your engineering work?
1:02 Where are we now in terms of women in engineering?
1:22 What’s a life lesson that helps navigate career challenges?
2:00 What exactly does an engineer do?
3:33 How did a crazy physics teacher inspire a career in engineering?
5:12 What’s the role of curiosity in finding the right career path?
7:48 How can young people assess whether a workplace or project is right for them?
9:23 Why is honesty crucial in workplace interactions and decision-making?
12:48 How can young professionals identify and work with mentors effectively?
15:00 Does the construction industry naturally foster honesty compared to other fields?
18:50 Why is commercial awareness vital for engineers and technologists?
26:31 What steps is the industry taking to improve diversity and inclusion?
28:03 How can women address challenges and thrive in male-dominated industries?
43:53 What motivates leaders like Paula to keep striving in their careers?
Episode Partner
easyJet streamlines affordable travel for all, with every role crucial in connecting millions via Europe's top airline network.
With an innovative culture, easyJet empowers you to shape travel's future.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | People never truly find their thing. |
| 0:02.8 | What's your advice to others who may be seeking something that they can't find? |
| 0:07.0 | I think it's been curious. |
| 0:08.5 | Talking to people you meet, you know, what do they do? |
| 0:10.3 | Why do they do it? |
| 0:11.3 | And not to be worried about making a wrong choice. |
| 0:13.5 | You might start something and it's not right. |
| 0:15.2 | It's having the curiosity and the willingness and eagerness to learn new things. |
| 0:18.8 | For me, place and people are really important. If you feel |
| 0:21.9 | comfortable and happy, you're going to be better at doing it. Any decision is better than no decision. |
| 0:26.5 | Absolutely. |
| 0:27.5 | Hi, my name is Paula Walsh and I'm the chair of Arup in the UK, Middle East, India and Africa. |
| 0:34.2 | We employ around 6,500 people in this region and this is my duvet flip. |
| 0:39.3 | I think engineering is one of the best things you can do because it's creation, but it's also |
| 0:42.3 | problem solving. So everything you're creating is to solve a problem or a challenge. |
| 0:46.3 | And you see what you do. At the end of the day, you actually get to see it. So I can walk past |
| 0:51.3 | point out, say, I did that, you know, pride in what you've created and done. |
| 0:55.5 | Where do you think we currently are when it comes to women in engineering? |
| 1:00.2 | I was lucky when I went to university. There were 10 or 12 of us on the course. It was about 10%. |
| 1:04.5 | But the change since then has been enormous. And there's just been a raising, I think, |
| 1:09.5 | of the understanding that women can do this |
| 1:11.8 | and be successful and actually bring diverse views and thoughts and ways of working i love that |
... |
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