Vivi Marinou, a member of the East West Rail Integrated Engineering Team has been shortlisted as a finalist at the Women in Construction & Engineering Awards 2026.
The awards celebrate the achievements of women making an impact across engineering, construction and infrastructure industries, recognising individuals who are helping shape the future of the sector and inspire the next generation.
Vivi is a Senior Project Engineer working on plans for the new Tempsford Station. We took the time to speak to her about her career journey, her advice for future engineers and what the nomination means to her.
What’s your role at EWR?
I’m Vivi Marinou and I’m a Senior Project Engineer. I work as the DPE for Tempsford Accelerated Station. I’m a Network Rail employee, but I work for East West Rail as part of the Integrated Engineering Team.
How did you get into Engineering?
I got into Engineering after visiting an exhibition called The Works of Leonardo da Vinci as an Engineer. It was incredibly inspirational and sparked my interest straight away.
I’ve always been a very practical person, I enjoyed maths and the university where I could study Engineering was very close to my house, so everything kind of worked out in the end.
What advice would you give to women and girls interested in a career in Engineering/STEM?
Don’t let anyone dictate what you can or should be. Engineering absolutely is the right sector for you.
Things can be hard sometimes, but once you’re in, you’ll discover a whole community of female engineers around you, it’s a real sisterhood and we’ll have your back.
What does your nomination as a finalist at the Women in Engineering awards mean to you?
The nomination meant the absolute world to me; I was in tears when I read it.
I was nominated by an East West Rail sponsor, and I’m incredibly thankful and grateful to him. I see it as recognition for all the cold nights working on site, all the arguments I had to have, and all the times, as a woman, I had to force my way in.
It also represents leaving my friends and family behind in Greece to come here and make my dream come true. It feels absolutely fantastic to be a finalist. To see her video click here.