Female Founders in Engineering and Manufacturing: Role Models for Young People
Meet the female founders transforming UK engineering and manufacturing. Only 16.5% of UK engineers are female. These 14 women are changing that – from 3D-printed vitamins and biodegradable plastics to sustainable textiles, IoT hardware, and industrial biotech.
Featured Founders
- Roni Savage – Jomas Associates (geotechnical engineering)
- Renuka Ramanujam – HUID (compostable packaging from onion skins)
- Mollie Claypool – Automated Architecture (AI and robotics housing)
- Melissa Snover – Nourish3d (3D-printed vitamins)
- Lucy Hughes – MarinaTex (biodegradable plastic from fish waste)
- Antoinette Yetunde Oni – AGREKA Build (wheat straw insulation)
- Xiaoyan Amy Ma – Danu Robotics (AI waste sorting)
- Insiya Jafferjee – Shellworks (sustainable materials from microbes)
- Jordan Brompton – myenergi (green energy technology)
- Eloise Gueye – Eloise Athletics (netball shoes with ankle protection)
- Holly Reeve – HydRegen (industrial biotechnology, green chemistry)
- Jen Fenner – DefProc Engineering (IoT and hardware product development)
- Sarah Angold – 29Acacia (sustainable textiles from banana plant waste)
- Neo Chatyoka – Uhuru Botanicals (plant-powered skincare and Cosmetic Formulation Academy)
UK Engineering and Manufacturing Stats
£191bn GVA, 2.6M employed, 16.5% female workforce, 124,000 additional engineers needed annually.
Resources
STEM Learning, STEMettes, Enginuity, Engineering UK, Make UK, STEMAZING, WISE Campaign, Smallpeice Trust, Arkwright Scholarships, Industrial Cadets, Tomorrow's Engineers, The IET.