Engineering, Diversity and the “Imposter” Label | Gillian Ogilvie of Will Rudd Davidson

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Gillian Ogilvie, Managing Director of the Edinburgh practice of Will Rudd Davidson, a consulting civil and structural engineering firm that designs buildings, roads, drainage and the infrastructure that underpins everyday life. Gillian leads a 40+ person team in a still very male-dominated industry – and is determined to change not just the numbers, but the culture.

Gillian talks about diversity, patriarchy and the “imposter” label. She shares how her thinking has evolved from “we need more women in construction” to “we need more diversity in all its forms” – gender, background, personality, identity – because rigid stereotypes do not serve men or women. She dislikes the way imposter syndrome is framed as an individual female failing, and instead points to workplaces and wider systems that still treat anyone who doesn’t fit the traditional mould as an “outsider”.

Culture is a huge focus for her. With extremely low staff turnover and a management team that has “grown up together”, Will Rudd Edinburgh is a close-knit business – but that creates its own challenges. Gillian describes how they realised they were great at praise and terrible at honest feedback, and how a staff survey led to a cultural change group, four “pillars” of focus and training in non-violent communication to help leaders get more comfortable with difficult conversations.

We walk through Gillian’s career journey: from contractor on large building sites in London, working long days and Saturdays on hospitals and office blocks; to a multinational consultancy designing big infrastructure projects like tunnels at Heathrow Terminal 5; to moving north to Edinburgh and joining a smaller practice where she could see more of the whole picture and connect with people. Over 20 years she progressed from project engineer to director – and, in 2020, stepped into the MD role just as the pandemic hit.

She shares candidly what it was like to take over a healthy business in the middle of COVID, make early redundancy decisions under furlough uncertainty, and spend her first two years with one clear internal brief: “Don’t break it.” It took time, stress and a lot of self-doubt before she felt she had solid ground under her feet and could say, “I know what I’m doing – and I’m going to lead my way.”

We also talk about male allies and privilege. Gillian credits former MDs, especially Stuart Davidson, with seeing potential in her she couldn’t see herself and pushing her forward in her career. She reflects on the “inner core of steel” that came from a loving, stable upbringing and knowing she always had a safety net – and how that made it easier for her to call out inappropriate behaviour than it might be for someone on the breadline with no backup.

From there, we go big-picture: patriarchal norms that tell men they must always be the provider, never cry and carry everything; the impact of COVID on flexible working and how many men in her practice now request flexibility for childcare, training and life; mental health in construction, including the shocking statistic on male suicide; and why she believes changing work patterns and expectations for men will have a ripple effect for women and families too.

Gillian leaves us with a powerful decision-making lens: “every choice has a cost”. Instead of seeing options as right or wrong, she weighs the costs she is willing to pay – whether that’s missing a networking event to protect time with her husband, or choosing to speak up in a meeting when she knows it will drain emotional energy. It’s a tool that helps her lead authentically, without getting trapped in “good girl” thinking.

This is a thoughtful, energising conversation about engineering, leadership, culture change and what it really takes to be “the imposter who belongs” in a traditional industry.

In this episode, we cover:

1. What Will Rudd Davidson does as a consulting civil and structural engineering firm
2. Gillian’s role as Managing Director of the Edinburgh practice and how the wider group is structured
3. Why she now talks about diversity in all its forms, not just “more women in construction”
4. Her critique of traditional “imposter syndrome” narratives and why the environment, not the woman, is often the issue
5. Culture in a low-turnover business: a close-knit management team, strong relationships and the downside of avoiding tough feedback
6. Running a full staff survey, identifying four cultural “pillars” and creating a culture change group across all levels and roles
7. Training in non-violent communication to help leaders give clear, constructive feedback instead of just “great job”
8. Gillian’s career journey:
9. Contractor on site in London, building hospitals and offices with long hours and weekend work
10. Moving into a large consultancy designing major infrastructure like Heathrow Terminal 5 tunnels
11. Asking to relocate north and eventually joining a smaller Edinburgh practice for more people connection
12. Taking over as MD in 2020, navigating furlough and having to let people go in the early stages of the pandemic
13. The emotional load of leadership: self-doubt, trying not to “break” a healthy business and eventually growing into confidence
14. The importance of male allies and mentors, and how former leaders spotted and nurtured her potential
15. How upbringing, support networks and privilege affect your ability to push back or walk away from bad behaviour
16. Patriarchal norms and why they harm men too – from provider expectations to the pressure never to show vulnerability
17. Flexible working post-COVID: a big shift in how men as well as women ask for and use flexibility
18. Mental health in construction and why Gillian believes the industry urgently needs more diversity and openness
19. Her decision-making mantra: every choice has a cost – and how that reframes work, family and leadership decisions