To celebrate International Women’s Day 2026, which took place on 8 March, BE News is running a series of interviews with inspirational women who work across the built environment sector
Name: Ella Griffin
Job title: Senior mechanical engineer at Unova Consulting
What I do: I work as a building services engineer for Unova Consulting, a boutique MEP consultancy. I am mainly involved in the project side of the business, delivering mechanical and public health design for schemes in a range of sectors. I also support the business’s other arm, MEP surveying, contributing to energy and decarbonisation strategies as well as technical feasibility and option appraisals.
Why I got into the property industry: I studied chemical engineering at university and upon graduating wanted to work in a sector that was climate positive. My parents both worked in property and I had done work experience throughout school and university in the industry, so when I discovered the world of building services, it felt like the perfect way to use my engineering skills in a space I knew I enjoyed working in. Knowing I would be able to control and mitigate the level of carbon emissions from a building’s operation also motivated me.
How I did it: I studied for a masters in building services engineering at London South Bank University and got an internship at AECOM during the holidays. From there, I joined the graduate scheme and worked in the commercial fit-out and refurbishment team. After five years at AECOM, I made the move to Unova.
My first proper job: My first proper job was working as a night cleaner at the All England Lawn Tennis Club during the Wimbledon Championships. For a first job, doing a month non-stop of night shifts was a bit of a shock to the system, but it was great fun and meant I got to watch the tennis for free (when I was not sleeping!)
My first big break: In my team at AECOM, I had very supportive directors who trusted me early on to manage clients on my own. This allowed me to develop my relationship management skills hugely and, although I did not know what was going on all the time, it threw me right in at the deep end and was a big learning experience.
My inspiration(s): I am lucky to know some inspirational women in the industry, including my mother, who studied for degrees and qualifications whilst raising children and working, with the added pressure of working in a male-dominated industry. I find that my colleagues and their breadth of knowledge push me to learn more and become the best engineer and consultant that I can be. I also find inspiration constantly from within the built environment sector, particularly through the British Council for Offices (BCO), where I am able to meet a variety of industry peers and hear many interesting career stories and innovative ideas.
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date: Last year, my team and I worked on a particularly difficult project in more ways than one. The environmental conditions were very particular and we had to go into incredible levels of detail to ensure we had a space that would function as intended. We were a new team and were quickly forced to understand each other’s working styles to meet the tight deadline. It was definitely a project I am proud of.
My greatest achievement/proudest moment to date: Being involved with the BCO on the London NextGen committee was something I was already very proud of, and it was the cherry on top to be appointed chair of London and the South East. I am loving my role so far and have already led initiatives, including a NextGen webinar on material reuse and the circular economy in practice. I plan to build on this by driving key industry conversations, expanding opportunities for under‑35 BCO members.
My biggest bugbear about the industry/the one thing I would change about the industry: That building services are less important than other disciplines within the built environment. The true purpose of a building is occupation and so without building services, they would be a bit pointless!
Why I’m so passionate about DE&I: As a female engineer, I know that I bring a differing view to a lot of my colleagues and clients. This experience highlights to me the absolute importance of diversity of thought. In an industry where our output influences and affects people from every single faction of society, it is incredibly important to ensure that the people working in the built environment reflect our society and can give true insight into its requirements.
Where I’d like to be in five years’ time career-wise: The goal is to be helping Unova continue to grow and influence the built environment sector, whilst working on interesting and exciting projects. I hope to still be contributing to the industry too, maybe putting my experience to good use and mentoring young engineers through the BCO NextGen programme.
Who I’d invite, living or dead, to a dinner party: People with some good stories to tell, the likes of David Attenborough, Stevie Nicks, Meryl Streep and probably my grandpa.
What I do in my downtime: I am an active person so typically I will be at the gym, running or cycling. I also love cooking for friends and family, and a lot of my headspace is taken up mulling over what to make next!
The job I’d be doing if I was not doing this: In an alternate universe, I went to cookery school and am now a private chef and recipe developer.
My advice for someone just starting out: Take every opportunity that comes your way! I would not be where I am today if I had not taken a few risks.
My motto/mantra: Always back yourself.
