Giorgia Copelli
Giorgia Copelli
Senior Engineer
Tell us a little about you.
I grew up in a small town in the North of Italy and I have always looked up to the women of my family – strong, independent, educated, stylish, committed and always fighting for the right causes.
My parents gave me and my siblings the opportunity to pursue our hobbies and interest regardless of our gender. My older sister studied medicine, she is now a surgeon and my younger brother, and I studied engineering. All professions historically considered “for men only”.
Why structural engineering?
I liked the idea of testing myself on something “different” with the potential of opening many different doors. I liked the strong impact of engineering in the society, learning the technical skills to make great ideas happen.
To start off with I was probably a bit naïve and not fully prepared to face so many challenges. Health issues made my university experience difficult and once completed my master’s degree in Structural Engineering (only two girls only in the whole class) I faced a huge wall of prejudices, regressive attitude and frustrations.
It took lot of patience, hard work and sacrifices that led to great professionals but most importantly meeting amazing people who gave me “the chance” in Italy and later in London.
Having been given a chance in London was a blessing and a burden at the same time. The higher you fly the harder it feels in case you fell out (Icarus Syndrome). I didn’t want to disappoint my team but mostly important myself!
In 2014 London being a city crammed full of amazing opportunities, ethnicities, possibilities and exciting projects, I decided to join the fast lane and move to London myself.
It took me a lot of time to learn how to communicate, learn new habits, adjust my lifestyle, to make friends and to prove myself, to feel confident and not to feel overwhelmed.
Why McGee?
I have spent many years in consultancy, I’ve only recently swapped to the contractor world. During my experience in consultancy, I had the opportunity to deal with many contractors and McGee impressed me above all the others, so I sent my CV as spontaneous candidate.
There is still a long way to go, and this makes the journey interesting. I have learned the importance of having a strong scientific mindset and technical skills, of studying, of seeking continuous improvement and excellence, of setting long term goals. Work ethic goes beyond genders. Motivation, determination, dedication, expertise, knowledge make the individuals the real specialists.
To the women undertaking the journey in the engineering career I feel like saying: be unstoppable without giving up your passions, personality, life balance.
Do not fear when opportunities seem to vanish, this will only open new challenges and horizons which were not foreseeable. Be ready to enjoy the challenge and embrace the change.