The 2009 Awards
The ceremony took place on Tuesday 1 December 2009 at IET London: Savoy Place
About the 2009 awards ceremony
The winners of the 2009 IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year and Mary George Prize for Apprentices awards were presented with their prizes at the awards ceremony, which took place on Tuesday 1 December 2009 at IET London: Savoy Place.
The ceremony was followed by a buffet reception where attendees had the opportunity to meet past and present winners, and network with our sponsors from prestigious engineering companies.
The ceremony was opened by IET President, Professor Christopher Snowden who said of the winners: “These young women are not only pushing the boundaries of engineering and technology, they are also powerful role models to other young women across the country. Their influence and inspiration will not be limited to the engineering field.
“They are a testament to the UK’s modern, hard working young female engineers who are helping to shape and influence the way in which we live our lives. These women have recognised the contribution that engineering and technology is making to the world and chosen to be part of a fast moving, ground-breaking and dynamic industry.
“Each finalist is a role model working, in their own way, to challenge the perception of engineering. They have come through a rigorous assessment process and demonstrated the talent, skills and enthusiasm they employ on a daily basis.”
The winners
| Sally Walters - winner
The IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award 2009Senior Civil Engineer
Pell Frischmann Consulting Engineers
Sally Walters gained her MEng 1st class Honours degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nottingham and an MPhil in Engineering from Exeter University in 2008. Sally brings a high level of professionalism to her role, from specific project work to managing her progression to ICE chartered status and mentoring colleagues. In her spare time, Sally is very active, enjoying skiing, squash, rock-climbing and even running marathons as well as socialising, reading, travelling and getting involved with International Development projects. Watch Sally's profile video |
| Farah Azirar - winner
The WES Prize 2009Solutions Manager
Sony-Electronics
Multi-lingual Farah Azirar attended the University of Surrey where she studied Electrical Engineering, gaining Associateship of the University of Surrey with Distinction. In her vibrant career to date, she has worked with both Mitsubishi and Sony Professional, displaying a flexibility of engineering skills within the AV/IT sector and supplementing these with marketing expertise, leading to the final stages of a qualification from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). Farah is not without a competitive edge, competing in cycle racing at a semi-professional level as well as writing for the UK’s market-leading cycling magazine and also enjoys mountaineering. Watch Farar's profile video |
| Cassandra Coles - winner
The Mary George Memorial Prize for Apprentices 2009Engineering Apprentice
Rolls-Royce Plc
After completing her A-levels at New College Swindon, Cassandra Coles joined Rolls Royce. Following work experience in many departments within the defence business, Cassandra has spent the last year working primarily within the Operations Test Department. Her passion for discovering “how things work” has ensured that her practical, hands-on approach to her work has been used to great effect within the role. Outside of work, she enjoys a range of activities from dancing to motorcycling and is currently restoring a 1987 Honda Rebel.
Watch Cassandra's profile video |
| Gemma Lonsdale - winner
Special Prize for Merit 2009Officer Commanding Tornado Engineering Flight
RAF Lossiemouth
Gemma Lonsdale’s affiliation with the Royal Air Force began when she was awarded an RAF scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough University. After graduating with BEng (Hons) Gemma began her Officer Training at RAF College Cranwell before moving onto Engineer Officer Foundation Training. She has been based at RAF Lossiemoth for much of her career to date, which also includes a spell in Afghanistan as Duty Officer for the Regional Command (South) Combined Joint Operations Centre. Outside of work Gemma is a member of the Station Mountaineering club and the Engineering society as well as enjoying a number of sporting pursuits. Gemma also volunteers with a number of charity projects. Her work to date has included fundraising for a village in Malawi and participating in a charitable project at a children’s refuge in Peru.
Watch Gemma's profile video |
Adjudicating panel
Dawn Fitt
Chair of Adjudicating Panel and Past-President, Women’s Engineering Society
Andrea Barnard
Head of PR, RS Components
Alice Delahunty
Former YWE Winner and Team Leader, Maintenance Strategy, E.ON
Sarah Dolden
HR Manager – Supply Chain, Molson Coors Brewers UK
Dana Skelley
Director of Road Network Management, Transport for London
Amanda Weaver
Publishing Director, Knowledge Management, The IET
Dr Glenn Webby
Head of Engineering Capability, GCHQ
