Last month saw the Institute’s first ever female President officially take office. Alison Ryan, a Chartered Engineer with over 20 years’ engineering experience in healthcare, took over the chain of office from Paul Fenton at the Institute’s 2022 AGM at Healthcare Estates. Before the show, HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, met up with her to discuss her career to date, her involvement with IHEEM, her goals during her two-year term as President, and some of the areas where she believes the Institute can have even greater impact.
Perhaps remarkably – given the Institute’s increasing focus on equality and diversity – Alison Ryan is IHEEM’s first ever female President, a role she told me – when we met up in mid-September at Mott MacDonald’s Leeds offices – she is honoured and excited to be taking up. Starting by discussing her education, early ambitions, and key career milestones – most recently, in March 2021, she joined Mott MacDonald as Deputy National Healthcare Technical MEP Lead after almost 20 years at building services engineering consultancy, DSSR – it was immediately clear that engineering is in her blood. Indeed, one of her main focuses as IHEEM President will be to do all she can to promote engineering as a profession, and healthcare engineering and estate management in particular, to potential entrants. Despite sterling work by bodies such as the Royal Academy of Engineering, Engineering UK, and the professional institutes, including highprofile and successful initiatives such as the annual IET Faraday Challenge – which seeks to uncover budding engineers at schools across the UK (IHEEM was the main ‘theme partner’ for 2021-2022 – HEJ – August 2022), there remains a significant shortage of engineers in the UK.
Early career thoughts
Our conversation began, however, with us talking through her education, career progression, and growing professional status – before discussing her aims and ambitions as President. She obtained her secondary education at St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, where she grew up. She fared impressively, gaining 11 GCSEs, and A Levels in Maths, Physics, Geography and General Studies, plus an AS Level in English Language. “I always had an aptitude for Maths and Science,” she explained. “My late father, Ian Long, had been an electrical engineer, and worked extensively on healthcare schemes. After a spell at the Yorkshire Regional Health Board, he joined the consulting engineering firm, DSSR, which had just set up an office in Harrogate, and he greatly enjoyed his work. He subsequently encouraged me to follow a similar path, albeit, in my case, with a mechanical, rather than an electrical, engineering bias. I remember him helping me with my Electronics and Design Technology GCSE work, but it wasn’t until I was nearing the end of my BSc Honours degree in Physics in 2001 – Physics being a core subject for engineers – that we really seriously discussed me going into engineering, and the prospects and opportunities there.”
Bias towards clinical roles
In her late teens, Alison Ryan didn’t really know what she wanted to do career-wise, although she was confident about where her strengths lay. She explained: “We had a careers advisor, but the general advice seemed to be largely that those pupils performing well academically should go to university. There was little mention of apprenticeships, or indeed any real focus on engineering careers, while if you discussed healthcare, the emphasis always seemed to be on becoming a doctor or a nurse. My mother, Lesley Long, was a nurse at Bradford Royal Infirmary, and my grandmother, Stella Kemp, Matron of Grassington Hospital, so I have strong family links with healthcare.
On completing her degree in summer 2001, Alison Ryan followed her father into the consulting engineering business when she joined DSSR’s Harrogate office. “After advice from some of my DSSR colleagues,” she explained, “I then embarked on a twoyear HNC in Building Services Engineering at Leeds College of Building. This was – in my view – the best course I could have done. I was working full-time as an Assistant Mechanical Engineer at DSSR while studying, and the course modules related exactly to what I was doing at work. I could thus transfer the theoretical knowledge from the course and use it in a much more applied way. There was, for example, an air-conditioning module, which included a focus on psychrometrics – a topic I don’t think my Physics degree course had ever touched on.”
Master’s degree
Having completed her HNC in 2004, Alison Ryan went on to study for a Master’s degree in Building Services Engineering and Management via distance learning from Brunel University. She said: “I enjoyed and benefited considerably professionally from the Master’s degree, but, timingwise, it was also key to me achieving Chartered status (through CIBSE) by the time I was 30, which had always been a goal. The Master’s course included both management of systems, and people, as well as financial reporting. It was an extremely busy time – I was working on engineering projects during the day, renovating my house in the evening, and had another part-time job at weekends, while also studying. However, I was determined to succeed, and completed my MSc with distinction in 2009. The Master’s degree really takes your learning to another dimension, while to gain Chartered Engineer status you must not only have the appropriate technical qualifications, but also the hands-on experience. I was very proud to achieve this particular goal by the time I was 30. I think being a Chartered Engineer opens up all sorts of doors, both here and internationally. For instance in Germany, I don’t think you can call yourself an ‘engineer’ unless you are Chartered.
Involvement in NHS schemes
During the first five years of her career at DSSR, Alison Ryan had gained considerable knowledge of the complex NHS healthcare sector environment, working on various schemes for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Harrogate District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Hull & East Yorkshire Hospitals. She explained: “I also spent a year – from 2006-2007 – with Hoare Lea, before returning to DSSR in 2008. At that point, all I had done was healthcare, and I was keen to diversify a little. At Hoare Lea one of the projects I remember working on – in conjunction with the famous architects, Fosters – was a 36-storey Dublin residential block, the top floor of which the rock band, U2, was going to use as a studio. There were some high-profile schemes, but I rapidly realised healthcare was what I loved doing, and was soon back at DSSR in Harrogate.
Promotion opportunity
“In fact,” she added, “I was offered a promotion opportunity as an Executive Mechanical Engineer back at DSSR, and, in 2008, the chance to work on the Southmead Hospital PFI project in Bristol – then one of the biggest healthcare PFI projects. Not only was there my family connection at DSSR, but while not a very large firm headcount-wise, the company had excellent healthcare connections. All the healthcare projects I worked on were fascinating – in different ways. For instance, monetary value-wise the Southmead Hospital project alone was worth £430 m. I was involved with the bid stage activities, with sustainability a key aspect. I remember we were looking at installing biomass boilers.
“I also worked a lot with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and with Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – my mum was a nurse at Bradford Royal Infirmary. It was fantastic establishing and building the strong relationships we did with these Trusts, and with the NHS Trust in Hull. These solid, long-lasting connections saw us win a lot of repeat work. For me, life and work are all about working with people you respect. I was with DSSR for almost 20 years, before joining Mott MacDonald in March 2021.” I asked what made her move? She said: “It was principally all the work that the multidisciplinary business was doing as technical advisor on the New Hospital Programme and authoring of new guidance
Technical advisors
“We have been appointed as technical advisors on various schemes, and have been looking at healthcare planning, digital, Net Zero carbon, social outcomes, shell and core aspects, infrastructure requirements, and MEP services, typically from Strategic Outline Case onwards, whereas previously I would have worked on schemes from RIBA Stage 2 onwards”
Another key career change
“I was aware of Mott MacDonald’s growing healthcare sector involvement before joining the company, and this was one of the key attractions of the job,” she explained. “I also felt it was time for a change and another key career move. In this role I am home-based, but it is a national role.” Returning to her work on new hospital proposals she said: “We are reviewing aspects such as primary energy sources – with many hospitals going all electric – using air source heat pumps, and solar PV, and the building fabric, using a ‘fabric first’ approach. This is seeing everything following an energy hierarchy. Similarly,” she explained, “with refurbishment schemes, we are looking to see whether Trusts are seeking to decarbonise, and at what they are doing to improve their existing estate. We are also considering whether buildings are fit for purpose from a modern-day clinical standpoint. If not – for example if the adjacencies are all wrong – then the project really is a non-starter.”
Technical knowledge and expertise
I asked what the most interesting aspect of the work had been. Alison Ryan said: “I think realising just how much technical knowledge and expertise I have gained over the last 20 years from doing the detailed design work.” When not working specifically on healthcare reviews, a typical day may involve meetings with clients and Trusts, Estates managers or Project teams, undertaking surveys, visiting sites, putting together fee proposals and bids, reports, specifications, and drawings, and responding to queries and problems. It is a really interesting role,” she explained, “made even more so by Mott MacDonald’s multidisciplinary expertise, and the breadth of services we offer.”
Next, we moved on to discuss her role and aims as IHEEM’s new President, beginning with how she was selected. She said: “Once I became aware I was being considered as the next President about 18 months ago, I put together a personal statement outlining my suitability.” This included reference to the fact that in May 2010 (just before her 30th birthday), she had been diagnosed with Mediastinal Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and had to undergo a year of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. She said: “During this time, I continued working on various engineering projects, and arranged my chemotherapy treatments so they took place just before weekends, meaning I could be back at work the following week. Work was very much a good distraction. After eight cycles of chemotherapy at Harrogate District Hospital, and 15 sessions of Radiotherapy at St. James’s University Hospital in Leeds, I was given the all-clear. It has now been almost 12 years since I was first diagnosed, and I continue to live a normal and happy life, reviewing and setting new goals regularly.”
Succession planning
Alison Ryan had joined IHEEM’s Council in 2019, and believes her being approached about the Presidency – following a suggestion from Ian Hinitt, who has strong Yorkshire connections and knows her well professionally – was part of IHEEM’s succession planning strategy. She explained: “I have been involved with IHEEM for about 15 years now, beginning with a spell on the Yorkshire Branch Committee. I first heard about IHEEM through DSSR, who encouraged me to join on the basis that membership is good for professional development. I subsequently served as Branch Secretary, Treasurer, and Chair, before being asked to chair IHEEM’s Professional Development Committee – an area that is a real passion of mine – including the STEM aspects. From there I joined Council.”
She admits she was both ‘very pleased and pretty proud’ to be approached about the President’s role. She said: “It was fantastic to be asked to be IHEEM’s first female President, and I think it shows how far the industry has come. In my view it is a step in the right direction gender equalitywise.” I wondered whether she had ever felt her career had been ‘held back’ by her gender. She said: “I found myself the only female among 30 or so students on my HNC, and indeed on my distance learning course I was one of few women. However, the perception of women in engineering, and indeed in a whole raft of other jobs – has changed – driven largely by wider behavioural change. I think businesses and people are wanting to be more diverse. It has to be from the top down though, which is exactly what the Institute is doing.”
Recruiting engineers
It had already become clear that one of the new President’s roles would be recruitment, and promoting STEM subjects and careers in schools and colleges. She said: “I have always been involved with careers evenings, and doing presentations at local schools in Harrogate and Ripon, and this year signed up as a STEM Ambassador, leading a Faraday Challenge Day at the Sirius Academy in Hull during the summer. The students had to design something that would improve the hospital environment for the patient. Some of them produced mood lighting, and others audiovisual and voice-activated devices, all working from a limited set of components to a tight timescale and budget. There was some impressive effort. IHEEM has already made strong progress on the STEM agenda, and has some great connections with schools and colleges, largely due to the work of former Presidents, Ian Hinitt, Pete Sellars, and my immediate forerunner, Paul Fenton.”
Changing times?
Earlier in our discussion, Alison Ryan had acknowledged that there was little focus on engineering careers in the latter part of her secondary education, but I wondered if she thought things had changed. She said: “I think all the work with STEM is strongly promoting engineering. In my view, discussion on future career opportunities in engineering needs to start at about the age of 14 – since that is when youngsters are considering their GCSE subject choices.”
I wondered about her other priorities during her Presidency. She said: “Obviously, Net Zero Carbon, and building and refurbishing healthcare estate more sustainably, must be a key focus. The sustainability aspect is really important for me in authoring the new guidance on refurbishments, and I hope many in the EFM community will get involved by submitting their views. I would strongly encourage people to get involved at consultation stage, which is likely to be next year.”
Sustainable thinking
I wondered whether she thought most in the healthcare EFM and engineering community were already thinking quite ‘sustainably’ given the imperative to do so. She said: “I think the last five years have seen a real shift. Even five years ago, we were still replacing boilers with gas-fired boilers and CHP.” Looking ahead at where the greatest opportunities for ‘alternative’ renewable fuel sources might lie, she added: “I think one is low carbon electric technologies, which are improving year on year. We are also looking at embodied carbon in terms of the building materials we use, and how they were manufactured – something we have never really properly considered before. In terms of future M&E plant, I think both air and ground source heat pumps could have a significant role, although currently take-up is being hindered both by costs and the operating temperatures, especially where the pumps are being installed retrospectively for existing buildings, because the traditional technologies operated at much higher temperatures.”
Different parameters
Alison Ryan explained that air and ground source heat pumps need to operate at lower operating temperatures. She said: “This means existing heat emitters – such as radiators – may not provide the same heat output. This would either require replacing the heat emitters, or installing supplementary heating. Currently,” she added, “air and ground source heat pumps are expensive to buy and install, while on retrofit schemes, installers have to be aware of issues such as compatibility and Different parameters sizing of existing pipework. If you look at hydrogen, meanwhile, I think the north of the country is perhaps leading the way, although I don’t believe the technology is yet ready to deploy at scale.”
Alison Ryan continued: “Professional development will be a really key focus for me. I would particularly like to get around the country as President – both to IHEEM branches and NHS Estates & Facilities Departments, to promote membership and the benefits of professional registration – at EngTech, IEng, and CEng levels. What I would be saying to, say, an Estates Director or Manager about professional registration is that it not only gives an assurance of an individual’s capabilities, competence, experience, qualifications, and expertise, but also greatly enhances staff’s professional development. I will obviously be promoting professional registration through IHEEM.
Greater engagement with healthcare in the community
One of the areas where the new President believes the scope exists for the Institute to engage more is in community healthcare. She explained: “From where I sit, IHEEM does a lot of engagement with the acute sector, but doesn’t seem to engage so much with care in the community. This ties in with modernising and digitalising healthcare and care delivery. With the new Integrated Care Systems now up and running, there must be scope for us to offer them advice on the official guidance and regulations surrounding healthcare EFM activity, and on best practice. We might also be able to help GPs’ surgeries looking at refurbishing their premises by offering technical guidance and practical help. I think that if we are trying to modernise and digitalise healthcare, linking the patient with the primary and secondary world is key
“I’ve already mentioned my focus on the STEM agenda, and inspiring young engineers to join the healthcare EFM and engineering profession, but with all the healthcare planning aspects we now see, there are even more opportunities. I’m not aware of many Trusts running healthcare engineering or EFM apprenticeships, but I think they are needed, because that kind of ‘learning on the job’ experience is pivotal. Indeed it took me the best part of 10 years post-degree to get fully up to speed with my work. We also need to continue with IHEEM’s work on equality and diversity in the workplace, since it is key to the sector’s future prosperity that that we are as inclusive as possible in welcoming in people from diverse backgrounds.”
A balancing act?
I next asked Alison Ryan how much of a balancing act she envisaged it would be to serve as an effective IHEEM President while simultaneously giving her all to her ‘day job’ She said: “I am lucky that Mott MacDonald has really supported me here. In fact we have done an assessment of time and budget, and the business is really backing me as IHEEM’s new President. There are already a few IHEEM members and Fellows in my team, and I’m encouraging others to join. One of our staff, Kevin Mitchell, is the current CIBSE President, and I think that although IHEEM has worked hard to foster relationships with other professional bodies, there is still more we can do. The sharing of knowledge that went on during COVID exemplified the benefits. Sharing of international experience can also be invaluable, and I am keen to travel as IHEEM’s President in pursuing this goal.”
On a personal level, Alison Ryan told me that her proudest achievements included:
Obtaining her Physics degree.
Running the New York Marathon in 2006.
Achieving CEng Status in 2010 while undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Doing a parachute jump
She added: “I’ve also just started having private flying lessons, which I’m really enjoying. I’m not sure where the urge to learn to fly originated, although I did work experience at Breighton Aerodrome when I was younger”.
Forerunner’s contribution
I closed by asking her about immediate IHEEM Past-President, Paul Fenton’s contribution. She said: “I’d particularly like to mention all Paul’s work around STEM and the Faraday Challenge partnership with the IET, which has been fantastic, while Ian Hinitt – no doubt driven by his own early career in the EFM profession – he worked his way right up – has done some great work on apprenticeships. Paul, meanwhile, became President not long before the COVID pandemic hit, at the most difficult possible time
“Looking back on own my career, I owe a great deal to DSSR, and my time there,” Alison Ryan acknowledged. “I’m a firm believer that while good qualifications and professional registration are key attributes for a successful healthcare engineer or healthcare estates professional, there really is no substitute for hands-on experience, and particularly learning from, and being guided by, experienced colleagues. That’s a message I would give loud and clear to anyone entering this profession.”
With this an interesting discussion closed, and I wished her luck in her new role.