For International Women’s Day 2026, we’ve spoken to the team and our female colleagues and male allies share their thoughts.
We have an incredible team here at SD. And we try very hard not to take that for granted. We aim to celebrate everyone for their individuality, their skillset, passions, and champion them at every opportunity.
In response to this year’s theme, Give to Gain, we’re taking action in the form of internal workshops. Our team will give experiences to gain insight. We will keep pushing for equality. And beyond all that, it’s also a good moment to celebrate the incredible contributions women make every day – in our workplaces, our communities, and our lives.
Being one of the few women in drafting teams has shaped many of my experiences – it’s meant navigating more than just drawings, deadlines and coordination. It can take resilience to find your voice in cultures not originally built with you in mind.
I’m often the only woman in a coordination meeting and I’ve experienced situations where speaking up to request clarity about a project or design change feels confrontational, and mistakes are amplified and made to feel like its tied to my gender rather than human error. Self-advocating has been an integral part of my journey.
I remain proud of what I do and I love my job. I am proud of the models I build, the solutions I deliver, all the drawing packages issued and the impact I make. And I’m grateful to have worked with many supportive colleagues along the way.
And while there is still work to do to become more inclusive, I’m proud to be part of the change – continuing to show that skill, perspective and leadership are not defined by gender.
Hayley Chessman, Project Structural Technician
International Women’s Day is a great way of highlighting achievements of women and girls, but it also acts as a prompt to reflect on rights and equality.
Throughout my career so far, I’ve witnessed and heard about gender discriminatory experiences. When I was a senior engineer, I witnessed a junior female colleague being disrespected repeatedly. She was an incredibly competent engineer, and the bias was clearly gender-based.
My initial thought was to suggest she avoid that specific site for future inspections or meetings. But that would clearly have been detrimental to her career development and wasn’t the right solution.
What I’ve learned about my role as a male ally, from this specific situation and in general over the years, is the importance of supporting and empowering female colleagues and friends to lead the response to these situations. That can take different forms – offering support behind closed doors or speaking up to help redress the balance – it’s situation and individual-led.
I’m still learning, and there’s more to do, but conversations like this matter.
Declan Goodfellow, Associate Structural Engineer
I studied at an all-girls school and engineering wasn’t a career path that was widely discussed. STEM subjects were encouraged academically, but working on construction sites or stepping into engineering roles didn’t seem particularly accessible or inclusive. University offered up a refreshingly balanced mix of men and women for the world of engineering. And when I started working, I was surrounded by supportive and collaborative people.
But as a junior female in a male-dominated industry, it was sometimes daunting to put across my viewpoints or my knowledge. I worried that my contribution wouldn’t carry as much weight compared to a male colleague.
Mentorship, from men and women, has played a big part in my development. Being trusted with real responsibility early on has built my confidence and technical skills and it’s become apparent how important early representation and visibility is. I’m proud to be part of a generation helping to shift perceptions and carving out space for everyone to feel they belong.
Ruth Meadowcroft, Structural Design Engineer
I feel slightly conflicted about these international days. On the one hand, it’s a shame that we still need them, and I don’t always enjoy the pressure that can come with them.
But at the same time, I know they matter. Gender discrimination still exists, and so by sharing experiences we help colleagues and friends think about how they might respond if they witness or hear about something similar.
It’s hard to understand a different perspective when you haven’t lived it. When women and girls speak openly about their experiences, it helps others recognise those situations and feel more confident to provide support in a constructive way.
And honestly, I also just love celebrating how incredible women are and taking every opportunity to recognise that.
Gemma Sheterline, Associate and Head of Communications
I recognise that biases still exist, and personally treating people equally isn’t enough.
I know some of my team have experienced discrimination because of their gender and it saddens me to hear of their experiences. It can really affect someone’s confidence and causes a great deal of frustration and upset. It’s important we have days like this so that we can reflect on the barriers that still exist for women, and make sure we work as male allies to continue to break them down.
As an owner of an engineering business, I’ve been considering what more I could do. The main takeaway for me is going to be representation. We currently voice opportunities (speaking engagements, attendance at events etc.) to the whole team and whoever is interested can step forward. But I’ll be actively encouraging more of our brilliant team to grab these opportunities and hope to have a truer representation of the SD team going forward.
And as a dad to two daughters and a son, I want my children to have the same opportunities that everyone has, encouraging them to follow all interests and passions and that all career options are valid.
Mike Davies, Director and Co-Founder