Webinar: Online panel session: Retention of female engineers by MA Business

Online panel session: Retention of female engineers

About

Retaining female engineers in the UK remains one of the most persistent barriers to achieving genuine gender diversity in the engineering sector.

While women make up roughly 16 per cent of the UK engineering workforce, studies consistently show that many leave the profession mid career, creating a leaky talent pipeline that undermines both organisational capability and national skills needs.

Held on International Women In Engineering Day (23rd June 2026 in partnership with Babcock International Group this panel session will explore why retention is such a critical issue, examine some of the factors that are driving attrition, and highlight some of the measures that can be taken to reverse this damaging trend: such as implementing flexible career pathways, structured returner programmes, inclusive leadership training, and data driven approaches to improving belonging and psychological safety.

Key discussion areas
• The root causes of mid career female attrition in engineering
• Which interventions have proven most effective in improving retention and progression?
• How can organisations build cultures where women not only enter engineering roles but thrive and stay?

When

Tuesday, June 23, 2026 · 10:00 a.m. London (GMT +1:00)

Presenters

Becca Gooch

Head of Research, Engineering UK

Becca is a researcher with 12 years’ experience researching education, skills, employment, and diversity. She is currently Head of Research at EngineeringUK, a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to enable more young people from all backgrounds to be inspired, informed and progress into engineering and technology. Becca leads EngineeringUK’s work establishing the current and future workforce and skills needs and how to address them, STEM educational pathways, and understanding the opinions and experiences of young people’s engagement with STEM subjects and activities. Prior to joining EngineeringUK she worked in a range of research and policy roles, at the Federation of Small Businesses, the Learning and Work Institute, Kantar Public, and YouGov.

Jenny Barry

Senior Systems Engineer at Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL).

Jennifer (Jenny) Barry is chartered Senior Systems Engineer at Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL). She is the technical lead for a UK Government Earth Observation mission, responsible for delivering a £40M satellite project. Her previous experience has been in both industry and Government, including working at the UK Space Agency within the Office of the Chief Engineer and at Lockheed Martin UK in projects spanning the defence, space, and R&D sector.

In her career, she has represented the UK internationally for topics relating to space sustainability, including as a delegate to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and contributing to ESA’s Zero Debris initiative, as well as delivering technical milestone reviews, and leading systems engineering efforts and analysis for a variety of missions.

In 2023, she was named one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering by WES for her work across safety, sustainability, and security, and last year she was named as the IET’s Young Women Engineer of the Year. In addition to her professional career, she has volunteered hundreds of hours to STEM outreach and supported various STEM and space initiatives to encourage women into the sector.

Sadie Peacock

Vice Chair, IET Manufacturing Technical Network

Sadie is a chartered Engineering Manager with over 10 years industry experience. She works in manufacturing for precision measurement company Renishaw with a team of ~50 technical staff. She has volunteered with the IET for 8 years and is currently the Vice Chair of the IET’s Manufacturing Technical and a Judge on the Apprentice and Technician Award Panel.

Elisabeth Eweka

Principal Digital Consultant at Hoare Lea

Elisabeth Eweka is the founder of ENGRL (Girls in Engineering), the number one global community for girls in engineering, reaching over 175,000 people across 150+ countries. Launched in 2024, ENGRL supports girls aged 13-24 through content, community, and mentoring - helping them see engineering as a career that is genuinely for them.

Alongside this, Elisabeth is a Principal Digital Consultant at Hoare Lea, with credits on major projects including Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Museum of the Future in Dubai. In 2025 she was named Inspirational Business Woman in STEM and Construction, recognised in the Top 50 Women in Engineering by WES, listed in the Top 100 Influential Women in Construction by CITB, and shortlisted for a UN Women UK Award.

Elisabeth is a keynote speaker, STEM advocate, and a passionate voice for making engineering visible and accessible to the next generation of women.

Charlotte Rhodes

Head of System Engineering Discipline, Babcock

Experienced System Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the Defence. Skilled in MOD, Integration, Requirements Management, MBSE, Leadership, Change Process, Defence, and Aerospace. Strong information technology professional with a Master of Science (MSc) focused in Systems Engineering from Cranfield University.

James Jarvis

Director of Technology at Mission Systems Babcock

James is Director of Technology at Mission Systems Babcock, and is also a mentor to women on our Illuminate programme – which is just for women at Babcock and has been running two years and is oversubscribed each year.

Jon Excell

Editor, The Engineer

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