Insights Empowering Diversity and Engineering Excellence: Wendy Tse's Story at Atkins Hong Kong

Congratulations on your 10th anniversary with Atkins! How did you come to work at the Hong Kong office?

“Thank you! After living and working in North America for a few decades, it was time for a change. While on vacation in Asia, I'd arranged an interview at Atkins in Hong Kong. 

It was Christmas Eve 2010, after the office holiday party, that I met Dickson Law, now our Department Head, and Douglas Simmons. 

I was welcomed during the interview. They made me feel I could overcome any culture shock and settle into Hong Kong as part of the Atkins family. 

In retrospect, there isn't much difference between working in New York City and Hong Kong. Both are multi-cultural, fast-paced metropolitan cities, bustling with life.” 

It goes without saying that we spend a big part of our lives together – so at the office, we make each other feel at home. In between pushing the boundaries of innovation, we bring a personal touch and enjoyment to everything we do. And that is our culture. 

How did you get to where you are today?

“I've always put extra effort into proving myself because both women and men have stereotypes against women. 

Men and women should have a part to play in ensuring gender equality in the work environment. Equality itself means different things to different people.

But at Atkins, I'm privileged to have supportive seniors on the team. They've provided me with the guidance I needed to grow the team from four to over 20 members. 

I've gone through myriad challenges over the years. I became a working mother, balancing work and two children. During that time, I progressed from a senior engineer to an associate technical director in the growing Atkins Hong Kong family.” 

Diversity is important to us. It enhances our ability to understand our clients and communities – so we can create more innovative, sustainable and inclusive solutions.

Yet Equality, Diversity & Inclusion are about much more than business performance. It's about creating a more welcoming place to work, where everyone feels valued and free to share ideas. 

Tell us about your biggest career highlight so far

“I primarily work on Airport projects. And the Hong Kong Airport Island has just been getting bigger and bigger since I first set foot on it. Developments have included the Western Apron to the Midfield and the Third Runway System (3RS).

I've really enjoyed working on 3RS. It's more than just a new runway. The expansion work is equivalent to a new airport. The provisional expansion meets growing demands ensuring Hong Kong remains competitive with the rest of the world. 

What makes your team so unique?

“Our airport team has a good number of female engineers on the core design team. We create a harmonious working environment by supporting and teaching each other. Our diversity of views and ideas has resulted in a more efficient and productive team fit for demanding airport projects. 

The core team is also made up of members from different cultural backgrounds. We come from the UK, Malaysia, Mainland China, Ireland, the US and Canada! 

The team pools our knowledge, eliminating unconscious bias; we respect each other's strengths and interests, maximize productivity and, of course, strive to outperform our competitors.”