Hannah Pridham is an Electrical Building Services Engineer at Arup. She studied mathematics, physics and electronics for her A-Levels, then secured her Master of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Manchester. Following a summer research placement at the University during the summer of her second year, she accepted an exciting summer placement with Arup in Manchester during her third year of study.

Finding new solutions

Hannah is a very ambitious, creative and energetic person. She's inspired by the challenge of solving a problem or finding a new solution. "I really like changing the way things have always been done," explains Hannah. "I like things to be better, more efficient or add value. I also like being able to take project ownership and experience the pride of being able to say I've worked on something really rewarding. And at Arup so many of the jobs are high-profile. This is especially true in Manchester where every day, I see some of the impressive projects I've worked on," reflects Hannah.

In Arup electrical building services, employees work on a huge range of systems from HV/LV and renewables through to small power, lighting, security and so forth. The work is always varied and often poses new challenges. "We work at different stages of design, so one day you can be producing a concept report and the next day you can be doing a full set of detailed design drawings. The systems require calculating, designing and coordinating - and they become more detailed as a project progresses," says Hannah.

When it comes to challenges, Hannah believes one of her biggest achievements has been when she was given the responsibility and opportunity to lead the electrical design for a building on one of the biggest jobs within her team. "It was certainly an enjoyable challenge and there has been a lot of hard work but I'm very proud of the designs produced," she reflects.

Everyone’s contribution is valued and considered

Arup values everyone's unique talents and through guidance and nurturing of that talent, the company supports everyone to reach their full potential. "At Arup we're encouraged to not only work to our strengths, but to identify and tackle our weaknesses also. The teams we work in are based on fairness and equality, where everyone’s contribution is valued and considered. We work collaboratively across disciplines and offices with a huge range of people from all over the world. This gives us a lot of opportunities to develop and shine. Thankfully, Arup is a place where no question is a stupid question," Hannah states.

Make your job application shine and stand out

When it comes to advice for future graduates, Hannah says" Always be yourself in your job application and make sure you articulate all your experiences, talents and interests. When these shine through on your application, that's what makes you different and makes you stand out from the crowd. Don’t rush the process, do your research and, of course, check everything twice."

Lots of social activity

Hannah suggests that there's a huge social side when you work for Arup. "You can get involved with and join in many events and teams from the social committees’ parties and activities, like the Arup football world cup and Arup golf. These are all great ways to get to know your colleagues outside of the office."

Find out more