Celebrating International Women’s Day with Dr Melanie Robinson

I have had the great privilege in this past week to speak to some amazing women who are partners and clients of BIM Academy as part of an interview series celebrating International Women’s Day 2022.

On Monday, I spoke with Wakako Kimura Thomson who leads the Asset, Risk and Quality and Technical Services for Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia, Canada. Wakako is overseeing the asset management related initiatives on three major healthcare facilities, highlighting that the recent pandemic has strengthened the Authority’s resolve and taught them a lot through the testing times. We are currently working closely with Wakako to define the information requirements and BIM strategy for the $1billion New Surrey Hospital and Cancer Centre.

On Tuesday – and International Women’s Day itself – we heard from Rozalia Lontou, Project Controls Engineer at the Skouries Mine Project with Hellas Gold in Athens, Greece. Rozalia took us through her work in the mining industry and provided insights into how Hellas Gold and its parent company Eldorado Gold are working towards a ‘responsible mining’ environment.

On Wednesday, I met with Dr Kay Rogage, Senior Lecturer at Northumbria University, who as a female computer scientist working in the built environment is a fantastic role model for women in STEM. Kay is currently developing a digital twin of the University city campus and is passionate about how we can use technology in a more intelligent way to reduce our impact on the environment. Kay is a member of BIM Academy’s research team, most recently providing academic support on our Aquila project.

On Thursday, I spoke with Yvonne Holland, Schools for the Future Project Manager with North Ayrshire Council, who is leading on the £70million Community Campus in Ardrossan. Yvonne encouraged those starting out in their careers to just ‘go for it’, explaining her love for seeing projects which serve the local community develop from an initial idea into a fully operational building. We are working with Yvonne and her team to develop their information requirements for Ardrossan Community Campus as part of the Scottish Learning Estates Investment Programme.

Finally, on Friday, I spoke with Marie Grieve, Managing Director of Costello Palmer Communications. Marie has 20 years’ experience of working in marketing and business development and in 2015 Marie founded Costello Palmer Communications, a marketing and communications consultancy specialising in digital content and high-performance strategic delivery for a global client base. Marie’s approach is one of insight-led thinking and an understanding of how the digital agenda now drives brands and decision making. BIM Academy is working with Marie on a number of projects for on which we are blending digital construction and sustainability.

Celebrating the careers of women is fundamental to visibility, helping break down any misconceptions about what women can or can’t do, and encouraging younger generations to consider career paths they may not have considered.

Thank you to Wakako, Rozalia, Kay, Yvonne, and Marie for their contributions!