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Wendy Brooks
Wendy has a lifelong passion for nature conservation and wildlife. She has a degree in the Biology of plants and animals from Newcastle University. Her early career was spent working for Natural England.
Wendy joined the Environment Agency in 1999 as the Regional Conservation Manager for Anglian Region. She moved onto gain experience as a National Flood and Coastal Risk Manager. She’s managed the strategic implementation of Flood and Water Management Act 2010, implemented the first cycle of the Floods Directive and developed ‘working with natural processes’ which has now become known as Natural Flood Management/Nature Based Solutions. Wendy also led the Environment Agency’s work on climate change adaptation across the business. Wendy has worked collaboratively with partners to develop the second National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Strategy for England. Wendy is a Fellow of CIWEM and a Chartered Environmentalist as well as a Trustee of the UK’s leading invertebrate charity Buglife.
Wendy is passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion. Having faced many challenges throughout her career she recently became the strategic lead for Women in Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management to promote gender equality across the sector.
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Anna Lau
Anna is a well-rounded Chartered Civil Engineer and Chartered Surveyor with 18 years’ experience working on behalf of clients, contractors and design teams, giving her a breath of varied experience across major infrastructure programmes. She is a Director at Turner & Townsend and leads the Cost and Commercial Management business for Infrastructure in the South East Region. Managing a very diverse team of 200+ people, Anna has recognised the important part that gender equality, diversity and inclusion play in the success of the business and the continuity of the engineering and construction industry.
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Natalie McIldowie
Natalie is a civil/environmental engineer and project manager, and for over 20 years she has led environmental projects across infrastructure sectors, including land reclamation and water and wastewater utilities. Natalie joined the FCERM community in 2018, serving as Jacobs’ Framework Manager and now the Account Manager. Natalie feels passionate about inclusion and diversity and is very supportive of emerging and well-established talent. She is a visible advocate for Jacobs’ culture of caring, and she wrote winning nominations for four BeyondZero Excellence Awards and a Next Generation Supplier Arrangements (NGSA) Excellent Behaviour Award. She acts as a mentor for the WiFCERM Mentoring Programme and a Syrian refugee through Refmentors. She advocates for employee networks that challenge bias and enhance diverse representation in the business and wider industry.
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Angela Mulgrew
Angela has been working in the water and environment arena for over 25 years leading multidisciplinary environment and water teams to support the delivery of sustainable solutions. As Head of Sustainable Water Management within WSP’s Water, Earth & Environment and Energy business, she is passionate about championing and role modelling I&D through active participation in WSP’s People and I&D agendas. As a judge for the Women in FCERM Awards, she wants to support individuals who are leading the way and learn more about the innovative initiatives which can be shared across the sector.
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Neil Parker
Neil is married with three adult children and a Chartered Civil Engineer who has been working in the FCERM arena for the last 10 years as the National Framework Manager for BAM Nuttall delivering schemes on the Environment Agency’s Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF) and previously the Water & Environment Management (WEM) framework. Neil is chair of the EA Safety, Health, Environment and Wellbeing (SHEW) Community of Practice. Previously Neil spent 25 years in the water industry in a number of capital delivery, asset management and operational positions on both water and wastewater treatment and networks.
Throughout his career Neil has worked alongside many very talented women and always encouraged and supported them in their careers. Neil has two daughters with first class degrees who are still in their early careers and is keen that they also get every opportunity to develop and advance.
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Clare Rodgers
Clare is a Programme Specialist at the Environment Agency, working as part of a senior leadership team to deliver the FCERM capital programme for the North East and Yorkshire. She was the recipient of last year’s WiFCERM award, which recognised the contribution she has made to championing gender equality, diversity and inclusion across the FCERM sector.
Clare has been working in the water and environment sector for 15 years. She is a Fellow of CIWEM, a Chartered Environmentalist and Chartered Scientist, and a non-executive director for the River Restoration Centre. She works part time and has two small children.
Clare has seen first-hand how great it is for people to have their work to challenge gender biases recognised through this award, and is looking forward to being part of the judging panel this year.
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Innes Thompson
As a civil engineer, Innes and has spent the majority of his career working with water. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and is Chief Executive of ADA, the Association of Drainage Authorities. In the past, Innes was also an Area Flood & Coastal Risk Manager at the Environment Agency in both Nottingham and York. Innes has also worked outside the UK, notably in France, the Middle East, Far East and the Indian subcontinent during the 1990s. Innes actively supports WiFCERM and, more widely, the value of people for who they are and what they can offer in the water sector.
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Richard Whelan
After transferring to FCERM from the financial sector, Richard has spent 14 years in local authorities working on flood risk, delivering projects in resilience, river restoration, SuDS and updating policies and strategies.
During that time Richard has been involved in CaBA’s Urban Water Group, National FCERM research theme advisory group and more.
Recent years, helping out on the Midland and Anglian WiFCERM Committee on a regular basis.
As a dad Richard is keen to see his daughter and son experience the same opportunities in life and also on opening our industry up to a wider audience to bring in new skills, ideas and challenge the way we deliver our work.
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