Nick Langdon

Nick Langdon - Card Geotechnics Ltd. Winner of the 2012 WISE CEO Charter Champion Award

30 November 2012

Acknowledging the importance of leadership in transforming organisational culture.

Nick has nearly 35 years’ experience in geotechnical engineering. Card Geotechnics Ltd is a small to medium business with just 22 technical staff, nine of whom are women, close to a 50% female workforce which almost unheard of in an engineering consultancy.

My proudest moment - My proudest moment was receiving the SET Fair Standard Achieving Award in 2010 on behalf of CGL. We were the first SME in the construction sector to receive the award. Not much over 100 years ago one of my female relatives, a widow, wasn’t allowed to run her family’s successful construction company while her son was under 21 and a little later her granddaughter couldn’t graduate with her degree. In each case, because they were women.

My advice - CEOs of other small to medium sized companies should provide role models for women to aspire to, make clear that they are people first and then engineers, treat them equally and do not make gender a ‘special’ issue. If I could change one thing, it would be a change within the education system early enough. Educate the teachers, starting in junior schools, of the idea that STEM provides rewarding and highly fulfilling professional careers for women outside of the traditional caring professions associated with medicine and teaching.

Winner of the 2012 WISE CEO Charter Champion Award - Acknowledging the importance of leadership in transforming organisational culture.

Watch the 2012 WISE Awards - CEO Charter Champion video

Download the official 2012 WISE CEO Charter Champion Award Press Release