The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) celebrates five young women engineers as finalists in its Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards (YWE).

These prestigious awards, run in partnership with Where Women Work, commemorate the very best early career women engineers working in the UK. Aiming to help change the perception that engineering is predominantly a career for men, these awards are banishing outdated engineering stereotypes of hard hats and dirty overalls. Prizes are awarded at a national ceremony in London, and are covered by print and broadcast media. Winners have the opportunity to attend high profile events and meet the most influential people in the engineering industry, offering excellent networking opportunities and the chance to raising their profile.

Representing the best of engineering

Celebrating and awarding women engineers and technologists is important for many reasons. It raises visibility, challenges bias, provides inspirational role models and also celebrates the companies that support women's advancement.

The IET also celebrates the Gender Diversity Ambassador Award that recognises the tremendous work being carried out by passionate individuals to change the perception of women in STEM.

The IET's YWE looks for a dynamic young engineer who represents the very best of the profession. She's a high achiever, a problem solver and a team player. She should be an inspiration to her colleagues and, just as importantly, have the charisma and personality to inspire others to follow in her footsteps. The ideal profile of a YWE finalist includes leadership experience, either through work, volunteering, or at university; teamwork experience, encouraging people to work together and working with others to achieve successful outcomes; and professional commitment, where there is evidence of commitment to a medium-term project or role and a clear drive and ambition to continue developing and enhancing knowledge and skills.

Meet the five IET YWE finalists for 2022 - all are talented, successful young female engineers pioneering in their field.

Meet 52 North Health Head of Product Development, Ama Frimpong

Ama Frimpong is Head of Product Development at 52 North Health. Ama manages the company’s engineering teams in the development of NeutroCheck®. NeutroCheck is a low-cost, portable device that helps identify people living with cancer who are at risk of neutropenic sepsis - a life-threatening medical emergency occurring in immunosuppressed chemotherapy patients.

Ama has made a lifelong commitment to volunteering as an ambassador, advocate and mentor to support and inspire more young people into STEM.

Meet Jaguar Land Rover Body Engineering Degree Apprentice, Constance Rudman

Constance Rudman is a Body Engineering Degree Apprentice at Jaguar Land Rover. Working in the interior lighting team, Constance creates innovative lighting solutions whilst studying for an Applied Engineering Degree part-time at Warwick University.

Since beginning her apprenticeship, Constance has worked extensively alongside the Early Careers and Future Talent Teams to improve the experience of apprentices, as well as promoting apprenticeships and engineering more widely through work experiences and outreach as a STEM ambassador.  

Meet Techover Robotics Engineer, Eneni Bambara-Abban

Eneni Bambara-Abban is a Robotics Engineer at the Techover, applying her robotic engineering experience to create custom and innovative technical projects for clients.

Eneni is the founder of two organisations, the Techover Foundation and Anime and Chill. The Techover Foundation is an international NGO that focuses on encouraging, educating and supporting individuals from underserved communities into technology. Anime and Chill is a safe and inclusive community of people interested in anime and/or gaming to come together and network irrespective of gender, sexual orientation or race.

Meet United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust Trainee Medical Engineer, Lauren Smith

Lauren Smith is a Trainee Medical Engineer at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust. Lauren is part of a team that ensures the proper function of medical devices within the healthcare setting and works to support the needs of clinical staff by repairing and managing the devices they rely on daily to diagnose, treat and monitor patients.

Lauren gives talks about clinical engineering at a local college, speaking to more than 50 students, encouraging them to think about STEM careers

Meet Telent Technology Services Group Network & Security Engineer, Veena Kumari

Veena Kumari is a Group Network & Security Engineer at Telent Technology Services. Supporting the development of a corporate network infrastructure, Veena works to develop and implement the latest generational technology to drive enhancements and efficiency across the business, as well as keep employees, assets and customers safe and secure from cyber threats.

Veena thrives from helping others and is an active volunteer involved in several charitable activities.

The IET reflects the increasingly diverse nature of engineering

The IET is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with over 158,000 members in 150 countries. The IET is also the most multidisciplinary institution, reflecting the increasingly diverse nature of engineering in the 21st century. The institution works to engineer a better world by inspiring, informing and influencing members, engineers and technicians - and wants female talent to thrive so provides a range of exciting opportunities for women to reach their full potential via awards, scholarships, bursaries, events and more.

Inspired by these talented women?

The IET celebrates women's achievements and spotlights dynamic young female engineers representing the best in their industry. 

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