Ringway engineer Homeward Bound

Louise Batts planning for polar adventure at culmination of 12-month global leadership programme

A RINGWAY engineer will take part in a three-week expedition to Antarctica at the culmination of a prestigious 12-month leadership programme that aims to heighten the influence and impact of women in making decisions that shape the world.

Louise Batts will be the only highways engineer and one of only a handful of British participants amongst the 100 women from around the world who have been selected to take part in Homeward Bound, which aims to equip women with careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM), to lead, influence and contribute to policy and decision-making about the future of the world around us.

Ms Batts will begin the global programme, now in its fourth year, in November this year and spend 11 months learning from some of the world’s most respected leadership development experts.

Then, in November 2019, she will travel to Ushuaia, on the southern tip of Argentina, where she will board a boat bound for Antarctica to take part in three weeks of group and team-building activities aimed at addressing the complex problems affecting the future of the planet and developing creative solutions.

Ms Batts is currently assistant contracts manager at Ringway Milton Keynes after coming through Eurovia UK’s graduate scheme.

She said: ‘I’m in an industry where we don’t have many women as leaders, so I want to be a role model for women in construction and become a visible STEMM professional as well as supporting, inspiring and mentoring other young engineers to get involved with this prestigious profession.

‘I also want to see more sustainable approaches taken to engineering problems. Clients and contractors must realize that resources are limited. We need innovation, and we need it now.’

Ms Batts is now planning to raise the £18,000 she needs to pay for the trip, including travel and equipment. Ringway have already agreed to match-fund her efforts, meaning she is aiming to raise at least £9,000 through various fund-raising events.

More information and the chance to support Louise’s fund-raising push are available at: https://chuffed.org/project/louises-voyage-homeward-bound