The Women’s Engineering Society (WES) has announced the Top 50 Women Engineers in the UK and Amblers Safety’s women’s brand ambassador, Sophie Lydia Smith, is among the top 50 professional network of women engineers, scientist and technologists who have been recognised. The announcement was made on International Women in Engineering Day which is an international awareness campaign to raise the profile of women in engineering. The Top 50 celebrates women who deserve recognition for their services to engineering and furthering the diversity agenda.
The inclusivity champion and ambassador of the construction trade, Sophie Lydia Smith, has led the way for women by launching her own innovative protective footwear designs with safety footwear brand ‘Amblers Safety’. The collection includes the innovative FS706 steel toe capped ‘Sophie Shoe’ and the Amblers Safety AS601C Lydia safety boot. Women tend to have a higher arch and narrower heel than men and require a specific fit on top of the various high levels of protection against hazards – an essential topic in health and safety. With more and more women entering skilled labour roles, the demand is evident for women’s safety boots to evolve quickly, both in design and materials.
Sophie Lydia Smith is well-respected in the construction trade. The chartered building surveyor of Atkins Global has won various awards for her exceptional developments in PPE and diversity including a European WICE Award and Professional Clothing Award. Miss Smith regularly guest speaks at events to encourage more women into construction and engineering careers, likewise, to make women aware of the various opportunities available within the industry. Today, her protective equipment collection is now worn by thousands of female engineers across Europe, opening more opportunities and transforming the future of the engineering industry.
More recently, the AS601C Lydia boots have been worn by the UK members of the first-ever all-female STEM Build Malawi expedition to build STEM classrooms at Rainbow Hope School in Malawi led by Katy Toms.
STEM Ambassador Katy Toms says, “Sophie is an incredible role model for women in the industry, talking the talk and walking the walk in trying to make a difference. In collaborating with Amblers Safety to create the innovative collection, Sophie is truly delivering on the road to make a difference in the industry. I have a pair of the Lydia safety boots and they are revolutionary in comparison to my old boots. She should be incredibly proud of everything she has achieved to date; I can’t wait to see her career develop and what she will achieve in the future. Congratulations Sophie!”
On being named, Sophie Lydia Smith said, “I am absolutely overjoyed about this achievement and honoured to have been selected by the Women’s Engineering Society, especially for the Centenary year. I have looked up to the winners of previous years as role models and for me to join them on the list is a dream come true. I want to use this as a platform to highlight the range of career routes into the industry. Apprenticeships are a great way of earning and learning; being surrounded by experts from an early stage of my career has been inspiring.”
The WE50 awards campaign aims to raise awareness of the skills shortage facing the industry and the huge discrepancy between the number of men vs. women currently in Engineering professions, to change perceptions and encourage young women to consider Engineering as a viable and rewarding career. The Women’s Engineering Society is celebrating 100 years in the UK.
