Women in Engineering 2025: Ashmi Kiku
On Women In Engineering Day we caught up with Ashmi Kiku, a Graduate Process Engineer at Actemium Design, to hear how collaboration, mentorship, and a passion for problem-solving have defined her experience in the engineering world so far.
Hi Ashmi, you’ve worked at Actemium now for two years. Tell us about your role and what you love most about it.
I’m a Graduate Process Engineer working in the Actemium Design UK office. My role involves working closely with clients and my team on a range of projects. What drew me to engineering in the first place was the collaborative aspect. Everyone brings different skills to the table, and when those are combined, we’re able to design and build large-scale, complex processes. That’s what excites me the most—seeing how collective effort leads to innovative outcomes across all the projects I’ve been part of.
Collaboration is indeed very important in everything we do. In fact, the theme of this year’s Women In Engineering is “Together We Engineer”. Is that reflected in your day-to-day work?
It’s reflected in every project I work on. Collaboration is constant—whether it’s with my own team, clients, project managers, or engineering leads. While the industry is still largely male-dominated, I’ve always felt included and very supported.
Now that you’ve experienced engineering in practice, what advice would you give to women considering a career in this field?
Do it! There’s so much support out there—forums, communities, and networks designed to help women in engineering thrive. It’s important to know that you’re not alone. There’s a real sense of belonging once you step into this world.
What stands out for you – in terms of who or what – has helped you grow your career at Actemium?
My line manager, Ian Grant, has supported my career from the beginning at Actemium Design. Actively encouraging me to take on responsibility on projects, learn new skills, ensure the correct training is completed – all to shape me into a competent Process Engineer.
When I first began at Actemium Design UK, Ian proposed the idea of ‘FIKA’ to me. I was trusted to form a Young Engineer’s Developers group (FIKA) at my office where we meet bi-weekly to listen, support and advise each other on a range of topics. We positively push each other to progress in our careers and hold each other accountable.
That is a really interesting initiative. Tell us more about you and the wider team support each other—personally and professionally?
Communication is everything. Whether it’s work-related or personal, just listening and understanding each other goes a long way. Knowing how your teammates work best and how you can help them makes collaboration so much more effective. It helps us all become better engineers—and better colleagues.
And can you share with us a moment you felt proud to be part of a team at Actemium?
Since I work in the Design office, I don’t often get to see our work physically come to life. But during my placement month at the Birmingham office, Steve Rowland gave me the opportunity to visit some of the sites. Seeing the high-quality work that Actemium had delivered made me feel genuinely proud to be part of the team. It was one of those moments where you see how all the planning and design translates into real-world impact.
Inspired by Ashmi’s enthusiasm about engineering? Visit our Career Portal below or get in touch with us via reachout@actemium.co.uk.