On 10 June, we were delighted to celebrate the winners of the 2026 Women in FCERM Awards, proudly sponsored by Jacobs, at the Flood and Coast Awards Dinner in Liverpool. The awards recognise trailblazing individuals who are driving positive change across the flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) sector through leadership, advocacy, inclusion and a commitment to supporting and empowering others.
This year’s winners have demonstrated exceptional dedication to creating more inclusive workplaces, developing future leaders and strengthening networks across the wider FCERM community.
Rising Star Award: Kristy Leeds
Kristy Leeds is a cultural leader within Jacobs, championing inclusion across the business and the wider engineering sector. As Deputy Lead of the Jacobs Women’s Network, she has amplified women’s voices and was recently recognised as Most Celebrated at the Jacobs Employee Awards.
Kristy has a strong track record of using events to drive meaningful change. She organised a landmark International Women’s Day event bringing together senior leaders from Jacobs and United Utilities, reaching over 150 colleagues and helping shape gender network resources in a traditionally male-dominated sector.
For Women in Engineering Day, she led a first-of-its-kind integration workshop that directly informed the creation of a new Allyship Global Steering Committee.
Beyond events, Kristy speaks on industry panels, leads senior allyship workshops, and connects organisations across the region to create lasting impact.
Through outreach with girls’ schools across Greater Manchester, she is inspiring the next generation of women in STEM — leaving behind stronger cultures, empowered voices, and real change.
Equality Leadership Award: Laura Rhodes
Through targeted, data-led action, Laura Rhodes has strengthened fairness, inclusion, and gender representation across a highly technical and historically male-dominated area of the business.
She has increased female representation on the leadership team, launched a Framework Quarterly Newsletter now reaching over 600 colleagues, and brought together 200 colleagues from 15 locations through the first multi-office team-building event.
Laura also helped rebalance participation in health and safety discussions to achieve a 50:50 gender split, ensuring decisions reflect the whole workforce—leading to improvements in site facilities, and inclusive risk assessments.
Widely recognised for championing others’ development, she designed and delivered a new coaching programme for future leaders and supported multiple women in securing promotions, technical accreditations, and leadership roles, including CIWEM accreditation.
Through mentoring, advocacy, and visible role modelling—including speaking at Women in Water events—Laura empowers others to recognise their potential and succeed.
Laura Baird Special Recognition Award: Emily Clarke
The Laura Baird Special Recognition Award recognises exceptional and sustained contributions to the FCERM community, and few embody this better than Emily Clarke.
Since the inception of Women in FCERM, Emily Clarke has held multiple leadership roles, including Chair of the Midlands and Anglian Committee. She played a pivotal role in building partnerships, driving local engagement, and providing steady, thoughtful leadership through the challenges of the pandemic.
As CIWEM Early Careers President, Emily championed the Early Careers Network and launched the first CIWEM Early Careers Conference, boosting the visibility, confidence, and participation of early- and mid-career professionals across the sector.
Emily’s influence extends to organisational culture and inclusion. As a neurodiverse leader, she has co-chaired the RSK Group Neurodiversity Network, shaping inclusive practice across an organisation of more than 14,000 employees.
A dedicated and highly respected mentor, Emily combines encouragement with rigour, guiding colleagues to reach their potential.
Truly “the tide that lifts all boats,” Emily consistent leadership strengthens people, professional standards, and sector culture across the FCERM community.
Highly Commended
The awards also highlighted the outstanding contributions of this year’s highly commended nominees. Our congratulations and thanks go to Veronica Makhesh (Rising Star Award), Elizabeth Griffin-Bennett and Emily Fowler (Equality Leadership Award), and Liliana Rose (Laura Baird Special Recognition Award). Their achievements reflect the depth of talent, leadership and commitment that exists across our sector.
A Sector Rich in Role Models
This year’s winners and highly commended runners-up demonstrate the power of inclusive leadership and the positive impact individuals can have across our profession. Whether through championing women in engineering, creating more inclusive workplaces, supporting future leaders or strengthening professional networks, they are helping to build a stronger and more diverse FCERM sector.
Their achievements remind us that progress is driven by inspiring people who are willing to break down barriers, create opportunities for others and lead by example. Women in FCERM is proud to celebrate not only the award winners, but all those recognised through the awards process for their contribution to making the sector more inclusive, supportive and resilient for future generations.
Nominations for 2027 Women in FCERM Awards will open later this year/early 2027.
womeninfcerm.co.uk 