Face of engineering always wears lipstick

Apr 14 2009 by Alastair Gilmour, The Journal

Jane Atkinson has become one of the most high-profile women in UK industry in the past decade. Alastair Gilmour meets a woman on a mission.

Teenagers to meet influential women

JANE ATKINSON is one of the influential women aiming to inspire the next generation of female leaders to emerge from the brightest and best young women in the region.

She will be speaking at the North East Women (New) Leaders conference later this month and will address about 500 female students aged 16 to 18, at the event organised by Central Newcastle High School in Jesmond and Schools North East.

As vice-president of SembCorp and the first woman in the world to run a blast furnace, Ms Atkinson will be joined by speakers including One North East chairman Margaret Fay, Northern Recruitment Group CEO Lorna Moran, Northern Stage chief executive Erica Whyman, CBI North East director Sarah Green, North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 Nickie Gott and television presenter Kim Inglis.

The conference is being held at Newcastle Business School, whose associate dean for research and consultancy Prof Sharon Mavin will address the audience alongside last year’s The Apprentice finalist Helene Speight. Beccy Earnshaw, of Schools North East, said: “This event celebrates the many talented and trail-blazing women in our region and recognises that ensuring that future generations of young women have the skills, confidence and ambition to succeed is vital for the North East’s prosperity.

“By enabling those to meet strong, realistic role models they can learn more about what the route to success can look like and how they may realise their own potential.”

The conference takes place on April 24.