Madeline Chia
Madeline is a civil engineer with a background in project management. She did her undergraduate degree in Malaysia & Australia before coming to the UK to do a Masters in Project Management. She’s based in Manchester, and is part of our Equipment, Technology and Innovation group.
What is your background?
I’m a civil engineer by background. I came to the UK in 2007 to do my Masters in Leeds before moving to Manchester to work in the sales team at Cussons Technology, before it was acquired by HR Wallingford. Being on the end of an acquisition can be unsettling, but it was very clear to us how much the company cares for its staff, and I’ve found everyone incredibly helpful and friendly. We celebrated our first birthday as part of HR Wallingford in December 2020.
What does your job involve?
I’m part of the Equipment, Technology and Innovation (ET&I) team. We provide instrumentation to the marine industry, and to institutions conducting research into naval architecture and marine hydrodynamics. I work in business development, liaising with clients all over the world to make sure we are able to meet their needs. Every day is different, and brings new challenges. It’s great being able to draw on the world class expertise we have throughout the company, especially when it comes to delivery of tender documents in other languages, which is something that previously with Cussons could be tricky, but at HR Wallingford is no issue due to the international nature of the company.
What are you currently working on?
We’re hoping to build on our successful bid for phase one of a large project in China. Phase two goes out to tender later this year. At the moment we’re concentrating on our range of dynamometers, and we are hoping to expand our product offering by introducing towing carriages and cavitation tunnels over the next 12-18 months. As Cussons we already had a global reputation in this field and as part of HR Wallingford we’re really able to continue and improve on that legacy.
We give our clients quality products and the best level of service from start to finish.
Do you have any advice to people who may want to pursue a career in STEM?
You are going to be challenged to think outside the box and look at things differently. But it’s absolutely worth it. I’d love to see more women coming into engineering. I think we do look at things slightly differently.
What are you most looking forward to doing when the Covid restrictions are fully lifted?
I really enjoy travel. I’m particularly looking forward to being able to visit Malaysia to see my family once restrictions are lifted. I haven’t seen them since 2019.
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