Breaking Barriers and Building Dreams: Celebrating Sandra Hartley on International Women in Engineering Day

23/06/25

This International Women in Engineering Day, we’re proud to spotlight one of our incredible team members, Sandra Hartley, a Principal Engineer who’s been with us for the past 1.5 years. Throughout her career, Sandra has broken barriers, challenged expectations, and quietly led the way for the next generation of women in engineering. Women in Construction

From Dream House Designs to Award-Winning Projects

Her journey into civil engineering began with a love for drawing, design, and problem-solving and a moment of awareness in a high school sociology class that challenged traditional gender roles. Sandra comments “I remember not being allowed to go on site with my dad because I was told I’d rather stay home and bake with mum,” she recalls. But she never let that stop her.

Breaking into a Male-Dominated Field

Encouraged by a sixth-form outreach programme for women in science and engineering, she pursued Civil Engineering at University of Leeds.  Sandra specifically choose this path as 20% of the intake were women. “When I started work, I was the only female engineer in an office of about eighty,” she says. “I remember going to site meetings and being asked if I’d come to take the minutes.”

Proudest Achievements

Among her proudest accomplishments is her contributions to Pinderfields Hospital. This scheme won a Constructing Excellence Award.

What’s Changed, and What Still Needs To

From hand-drawn plans to digital collaboration, she’s seen the industry transform. “It’s no longer out of the ordinary to have women engineers,” she says. But she’s also clear that greater representation in senior roles and more flexible working are still key to making the industry truly inclusive.

Her Advice to Young Women in Engineering?

“Go for it! Don’t let being a woman hold you back from doing your job.”

Outside the office, she’s a passionate gardener and an Ironman competitor. Looking ahead, she’s focused on staying healthy, contributing to meaningful projects, and inspiring others.

Thank you, Sandra, for sharing your story, and for everything you’ve done and continue to do, to shape a more inclusive and inspiring future in engineering.