Features / If I Knew Then
If I Knew Then: Trish Johnson
Trish Johnson is a chartered civil engineer with over 30 years of experience and a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. She is the first woman to be appointed as bridge master of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, a role she has held since 2016.
Trish’s career also includes serving as head of engineering and maintenance at the Severn Bridge and the Second Severn Crossing. Additionally, she has cared for bridges and highways across the South West as part of the engineering consultant Mouchel. Trish served as the southwest regional director for the Institution of Civil Engineers for five years.
She is passionate about engineering education and industry advocacy, contributing to UWE Bristol’s Civil Engineering Advisory Board and mentoring with “Women Like Me”.
Trish Johnson is the first woman to be appointed as bridge master of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, a role she has held since 2016 – photo: Clifton Suspension Bridge & Museum
How did you start your career?
I had an interest in maths and physics while at school and studied civil engineering at Salford University. This allowed me to take a year out in industry on the Severn Bridge – this was the start of my interest in bridges. After finishing my degree, I wanted to move back to Bristol, which I loved, and I started work with an engineering multi-disciplined consultant there known as Parkman – now WSP. I moved up the ladder within Parkman, eventually running the Bridges Office in Bristol and then the Highways and Transportation office in Trowbridge. It was a great starting point for me.
If you knew then what you knew now, what mistakes would you have avoided?
I believe you should learn from your mistakes and if you don’t make any, you are fooling yourself! One of the challenges I had when I was starting out was proving myself as a female engineer. I felt I had to do more than what was expected of my male colleagues. It stood me in good stead though, as I was able to progress quickly within the company.
What advice would you give yourself when starting out?
Advice I still have to give myself even now is to not take things personally. It is difficult when you are involved in a project not to fully own it, but you have to realize that you are working for an organization, and any criticism or comment is not focused on you. Hard as that may be!
If you knew then what you know now, would you still be sitting there?
Of course! When I talk to students about my career, I always say that if I had to do things again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Except I maybe would have taken a year out to travel the world before starting work, but that is still on my bucket list.
What do you know now that you didn’t know then?
I know a lot about bridges! But seriously, understanding that running a bridge office or looking after a historic bridge is more than just looking after the bridge(s) themselves. It is the behind-the-scenes work that takes up a lot of time including HR, technical issues, health and safety, dealing with the public and stakeholders, and so on.
“Working at the Clifton Suspension Bridge has to be my highlight,” said Trish Johnson who boasts of a distinguished career as an engineer – photo: Martin Booth
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received so far?
‘You can do this! Just have confidence in yourself!’
What is your career highlight?
Working at the Clifton Suspension Bridge has to be my highlight! To work for a charitable trust dedicated to the conservation of such an iconic structure is amazing. We have a great team at the bridge and in our newly accredited museum. Every day is different, and we have a saying here – ‘Never a dull day at the bridge!’
What is your career low point?
I think everyone has to deal with some awful bosses. I had one who made my life difficult – I left there as soon as I could! Say no more!
What keeps you awake?
I usually have a number of ‘to-do’ lists going on in my head! One of these days, I will start to write them down so I can get to sleep quicker!
What’s changed from when you started out?
Health and safety have come a long way since I started out. There is much more of a focus on managing all the risks and ensuring everyone is safe when carrying out their roles. You only have to look at the pictures of people walking the chains in the 70’s with no harness and no safety equipment to see how far we have progressed.
What’s still on your to-do list?
We have to finish our multi-million-pound painting project on the bridge, which should be completed next year, and this is my main focus at the minute. There is always something to do when keeping a Grade I historic structure in good condition, and I have a five-year maintenance plan that I keep updated.
Trish is passionate about engineering education and industry advocacy, contributing to UWE Bristol’s Civil Engineering Advisory Board and mentoring with “Women Like Me – photo: UWE Bristol
What’s next for you in business and personally?
I need to continue to maintain the bridge and look at how we are going to promote our newly accredited museum at the bridge. It has always been a Visitor Centre, but we are so proud that with the building of our archives, we are now a Museum and hope that more people will come and visit us. On a personal note – I still have that gap year to do!
Main photo: Jon Craig Photography
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