Meet the exceptional winners celebrated nationally at this year’s IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards

 
The winners are as follows:

• IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year: Jennifer Barry, Senior Systems Engineer at Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), is a leading advocate for space sustainability. She has represented the UK at the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and contributed to the European Space Agency’s Zero Debris initiative. Her outreach work spans more than 500 hours, inspiring the next generation through flagship STEM events.
   
• Women’s Engineering Society (WES) Prize: Amy Dillon, Associate Engineer at Design ID. She leads high-impact infrastructure projects across the UK and Ireland. A Chartered Engineer and ICE STEM Ambassador of the Year, she combines technical leadership with a passion for outreach, founding The Big Bridge to engage over 4,000 young people, particularly girls, in engineering.
   
• Mary George Memorial Prize for Apprentices: Rachel Donaghey, Service Introduction Manager at National Air Traffic Services (NATS). Rachel plays a key role in UK air traffic control, leading the safe rollout of new systems across 38 sites in a 24/7 operational environment. Rapidly promoted after her graduate scheme, she also supports NATS’ incident response team, providing clear, calm communication during major emergencies. Her leadership helps keep UK skies safe and resilient.
   
• Gender Diversity Ambassador Award: Vince Pizzoni. With over 40 years of experience, Vince has mentored and sponsored thousands of engineers, championing diversity and inclusion throughout his career. He serves as a Trustee, Non-Executive Board Member and Ambassador for organisations including Male Allies UK, Women in Engineering Society, and POWERful Women. 

Finalists Rachel Hayden and Nikkala Pokojski were both highly commended. All winners and finalists will play an ambassadorial role for the engineering and technology professions in the forthcoming months, promoting engineering careers to more girls and young people.  

The IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards aim to showcase the breadth of opportunities for young women in engineering and technology. By highlighting these role models, the IET hopes to address the UK’s engineering skills shortage and encourage more girls and women into the profession.

Dr Laura Norton, Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the IET, said: “Engineering and technology are at the heart of solving global challenges and shaping a better future for all. Yet, despite the exciting opportunities this sector offers, women remain significantly underrepresented, making up just 16.9% of the engineering and technology workforce. This is often due to misconceptions about what engineering involves, persistent gender stereotypes and a lack of visible role models for young people.

“Our awards shine a spotlight on incredible individuals who are breaking down these barriers. They are not only leaders in their fields but also powerful ambassadors for the profession. I’d like to congratulate all this year’s winners and finalists – they are inspiring examples of what’s possible and will help encourage more girls to consider engineering as a career.

“Engineering is creative, diverse, and impactful – it’s a profession that changes lives and shapes the world. We must continue to champion these opportunities to the next generation.”

The winners were announced on 11 December at IET London: Savoy Place, with the Awards sponsored by GCHQ, Leonardo, London Stanstead Airport, MBDA, Northrop Grumman, Royal Air Force, and BAE Systems.

Entries for the 2026 Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards open on 8 March 2026. To find out more information, please visit www.theiet.org/ywe.

Ends

Notes to editors:

Please note that photos from the awards ceremony are available upon request. 

About the IET

• We inspire, inform and influence the global engineering community to engineer a better world.     
• We are a diverse home for engineering and technology intelligence throughout the world. This breadth and depth means we are uniquely placed to help the sector progress society.     
• We want to build the profile of engineering and technology to change outdated perceptions and tackle the skills gap. This includes encouraging more women to become engineers and growing the number of engineering apprentices.    
• Interview opportunities are available with our spokespeople from a range of engineering and technology disciplines including cyber-security, energy, engineering skills, innovation, manufacturing, technology, transport and diversity in engineering.    
• For more information, visit www.theiet.org.    
• Follow the IET on LinkedIn and Instagram via @TheIET / @InstitutionofEngineeringandTechnology.    

Media enquiries to:

Megan Stearn
Senior Communications Executive
E: meganstearn@theiet.org