Lucy Bradbury is a Data Analyst and DiverCity Co-Chair at AECOM

Lucy Bradbury is a Safety, Health, Environment and Sustainability (SHE&S) Data Analyst at AECOM. Lucy shares how she became a SHE&S Data Analyst, what her role involves, and the best career advice she has been given.

Lucy also walks in the UK's Manchester and Leeds Pride parades, and she partnered with Building Equality to create several posters which are being displayed across AECOM offices to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). Lucy also shares her reasons for getting involved, and why diversity and inclusion are so important.

AECOM diversity inclusion posters

Lucy is also the DiverCity Co-Chair. Launched in 2018, DiverCity is AECOM’s employee-led lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer plus (LGBTQ+) working group. DiverCity provides a transparent and accessible support network for staff, as well as networking events and discussions around the UK and Ireland. In this article, Lucy shares more about her involvement with this initiative, and projects DiverCity is currently working on.

How did you become SHE&S Data Analyst at AECOM?

I started out in Facilities Management straight after college. There is a major overlap with safety and sustainability and that is where I found my passion. I have always been interested in communications and IT, so SHE & Sustainability Analyst was a good fit.

What are you currently working on?

The SHE&S team at AECOM has recently developed a brand-new sustainability strategy following input across the globe from the business. Climate change has become an unavoidable issue, so it is great to have a formal approach on how we are going to tackle AECOM’s climate impacts. Last year AECOM signed up to the Science Based Targets initiative and at the time were the only construction and engineering company to do so.

What does your role involve on a day-to-day basis?

It sounds like a cliché but really, no two days are the same! Our new sustainability strategy covers an environmental, social and governance framework which is very wide-ranging so there is always something new and different to do. At the minute a lot of the focus is on updating our strategy on emissions. On the health and safety side, the majority of my time is spent on incident response and analysis, and updating training.

What is a big challenge for SHE&S right now?

The UK has declared a climate emergency, on the one hand it is great to see the government take the issue of climate change seriously, on the other hand it is a reminder that if we do not act now it could have a catastrophic effect. There is certainly a lot of work to do, but there are also small changes we can all make which add up to a big difference. We regularly brief AECOM teams on how they can help, such as turning off equipment when it’s not in use and prioritising sustainable transport methods.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

The variety and the people! I work with an incredible team and get to work with people at all levels across the globe. SHE & Sustainability are so broad that if you are not keen on a particular topic it is fine, there will be hundreds of other things that need doing!

What is the best piece of career advice you have been given?

A Director once told me he thought men tended to get more senior jobs because they were more likely to apply for roles that they were under-qualified for than women and non-binary people. His advice was if you felt slightly less qualified than needed, apply anyway and try your best! While all of that is a gross over-simplification, I think there is a good message in there and I like the message of having self-confidence, taking risks and working hard.

AECOM DiverCity Chair

What does Diversity and Inclusion mean to you personally?

At the most basic level, for me the workplace should be as diverse as the countries it operates in and everyone should feel represented and included. Study after study shows diverse workforces are more efficient and effective, if you have people on your team from diverse backgrounds they are far more likely to bring different levels of innovation and insight to the table. On the inclusion side of things, everyone should be able to feel comfortable being their ‘true’ selves.

LGBT women AECOM

Why did you decide to do the poster initiative?

The posters were launched to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). We wanted to use the posters to challenge misconceptions, such as people only getting jobs because they tick the diversity box, and highlight examples of inappropriate language – in addition to turning it on its head and highlighting statistics from a Construction News survey to show how damaging inappropriate language or behaviour can be. They were really well received and sparked a lot of conversation which was great to see, but we have still got a long way to go before all workplaces are truly fully diverse and inclusive.

Why did you decide to get involved with Manchester and Leeds Pride?

Visibility is so important to me – I am always talking about representation so it only seemed right to be a ‘visible’ part of the community, and what better way to do that than be in the parades in front of thousands of people! I hope it inspires anyone who feels uncertain about getting involved to go for it. I have attended Pride for years but never joined in the parades before - if I can do it so can everyone else! It is really important to remember it is not only the LGBTQ+ community who can attend Pride, we need support from allies. If you are not sure how to contribute or help, ask!

AECOM DiverCity initiatives

What initiatives is DiverCity currently working on?

I am the Co-Chair for DiverCity, along with Pascal Harper, Technical Head, Process Engineering. DiverCity have a monthly call where we discuss what current issues LGBTQ+ staff in the business are facing, and what we could do to address them. This might involve updating an HR procedure or developing training.

I also manage the DiverCity inbox. This is a relatively new inbox where employees in the UK and Ireland can email LGBTQ+ queries. We encourage people to use it as a ‘safe space’ to ask questions.

One of the initiatives that DiverCity is currently working on is Trans guidelines. This will include advice for managers on how to speak to trans staff, and their wider teams about trans issues.

Do you have a role model?

Luke Ives, Building Equality Manchester Chair – the amount of work he does to promote diversity and inclusion is just incredible and makes a real difference to the community.

Building Equality is an alliance of approximately 40 companies and supporters from the construction industry who are passionate about working together to drive the LGBT+ inclusion in the construction industry.

I am delighted that Luke recently delivered a presentation on equality, diversity and inclusion in construction at both of our Manchester offices. There were not enough seats the talk was so popular! The whole Building Equality group do great work, and they are always looking for new members.

AECOM LGBT diversity inclusion