This week, we’re celebrating a special milestone for our Relationship Director, Susanne Ingham. Susanne is the beating heart of LCRIG, and this week marks her 30th year in the highways sector. We sat down with Susanne to reflect on her remarkable career, as she shares some of the highs, lows, and funny moments from her amazing journey.
What initially attracted you to the highways sector?
I joined the sector exactly 30 years ago today, and to be honest, I didn’t even know the highways sector existed until that day. All I ever dreamed of was to become a professional dancer. I started dancing at age 5 and pursued it seriously, even auditioning for a professional dancing school at 16. However, my body shape changed (you know what I mean) and, needless to say a tutu was never going to be ‘my thing’ anymore. I moved on to become a student teacher, and at 21, I was juggling full-time work while studying for my BTEC ONC and HNC in Business.
In 1995 a lot changed. I turned 21, stopped dancing, got married and began working at Tensar as a Marketing Administrator. Oh wow, what a baptism of fire! I found myself proofreading Design Manuals and Specifications for geogrids and geotextiles for ballast reinforcement and ground stabilisation…hells bells, what a massive shift!!
Can you walk us through your career journey? Where did you start, and how did you progress to your current role?
I really loved organising events at Tensar, and it gave me the ‘bug’ for getting out and about. At the time, Tensar only employed Civil Engineers for technical sales, so nobody was going to let me loose to design a retaining wall. So, I took a job at Astucia (now Clearview Intelligence), where I was the very first person to work with the inventor of the solar studs. This opportunity gave me my first experience of Business Development within road safety, and I found this so rewarding. I loved travelling and visiting clients. From there, I went to work at Prismo and then Hitex (now Swarco).
In 2007 I took a massive leap of faith and became self-employed. I worked for seven organisations all at the same time, including Qpark, AddaGrip, Cirencester Civil Engineering, Stormtech, BAK Civil Engineering, In Touch and Capita. I was earning really well, thoroughly enjoying the variety, flexibility, and loving the opportunities. But over time, I realised my ‘business model’ would always be dependent entirely on me and that there was no clear ‘exit strategy’.
I recognised the sector was fragmented, with many overlaps and no unified resource that showcased the whole sector in one place. That led me to start the ‘RichWorks Ltd’ in 2008 – ‘The Route Into Construction and Highways’. The idea was to create a sector-specific portal to bring together the whole highways and transport sector in one place. It was essentially the precursor to LCRIG, a membership organisation providing resources for ‘everything highways’ and services fully funded for the public sector.
It was the hardest thing I have ever done. ‘RICH’ was an ironic name, as it nearly brought me to financial ruin during the economic crash. I had come up with an idea to unite the whole sector collaboratively and I believed that me and Starlotty (Charlotte) would actually be able to do it. I was so determined, tenacious and resilient for the idea to succeed that whilst The Rich Works was struggling, I continued working for other organisations on a self-employed basis, including DBi Services, Rennicks, and a recruitment company. My dad often jokes that it became ‘an overnight success after 12 years’!
Now, I’m in my most happiest place at LCRIG, facilitating collaboration across the entire sector with the amazing Team LCRIG. Was it worth it? Absolutely!
Given your long tenure in the sector, have you maintained relationships with clients who have also grown in their careers?
Oh my goodness absolutely! No one’s ever got shut of me and thanks to LinkedIn, it’s even harder for folks to try! The first person I met from the wider sector in 1995 was Neil Levett, who visited me at Tensar to promote Highways Magazine. We were both 21 at the time, and we’re still friends today. It is also lovely to add that clients, colleagues and competitors from over the 30 years now are associated with LCRIG as members!
Building relationships is really important to me. Over the years, I have made lifelong friends within the sector. And I’ll never forget some funny incidents, where I have perhaps crossed the line (unintentionally of course)! Like the time I asked Ian Thomas from Rennicks for child support by text, or when I sent a text to George Lee at the RSMA to say ‘good night, love you’. Luckily, they both know I’m practically blind as a bat and that my ex-husband has the same name as Ian and my daughter is called Georgia Leigh!!!
Reflecting on your career, what advice would you have given your younger self?
I’ve done everything the hard way, raising a child as a single mum and taking massive risks without any real stability. Should I have told myself to ‘get a proper job’? If I had, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
The best advice I would give my younger self would be to trust your instinct. Your gut feeling is always right! Even when people tell you to give it up, don’t! Especially when you know your sector and understand what’s needed. I can now see that my idea, which seemed so big and ambitious at the time, was likely ahead of its time. It was such a massive undertaking and it is no wonder that people said to let it go, but I am so glad I didn’t.
But, just to clarify, I wouldn’t give myself the same advice if I was auditioning for the X Factor!!!!
What advice would you offer to someone who is just starting out in the highways industry?
Success comes from hard work, but it is also so important to earn trust and to always maintain integrity. The opportunities are endless and you will be rewarded if you work hard, but it is so important to retain, maintain and develop relationships. Always leave a job on good terms because you never know when you’ll cross paths with colleagues, former clients or competitors again. I’ve found that if you do the right thing by others, they will always do the right thing by you. We have so many members within LCRIG who are former competitors, clients and colleagues. Relationships are key to all types of jobs and levels of seniority and should be valued and protected.
Who has been the most influential figure or biggest inspiration to you in this sector, and why?
This is a long list – I’ve been in the sector for a long time! But I will always be forever grateful to the late, great Steve Berry OBE, the legend who is Will Britain, to the super influential Martin Duffy, and, of course my special Starlotty Bromlotty (Charlotte), as they enabled the magic of LCRIG to come to life.
My ultimate inspiration, however, is my dad. He’s always trusted and believed in me, and he continually encouraged me to just keep going, even when things got tough.
I am also inspired by our amazing Team LCRIG. What those fabulous ladies (and Dan) achieve as such a small team and the impact they make on the sector is truly remarkable.
Looking back over the years, what are the three main highlights of your career in the highways sector?
The biggest highlight of my career came when I surprised my dad with the DfT Special Recognition Award at Strictly Highways in 2022. Presenting him with the ‘Special Appreciation’ award in front of 450 people was so special. You can watch the video here. It really is a lovely few minutes to watch. I also speak about the ‘journey’ and other special people who have influenced and shaped the progression of my career.
Another great highlight was when LCRIG was named ‘Team of the Year’ at the Highways Awards. We never expected to win, and receiving recognition from the whole sector for our achievements was amazing (and so was the pink champagne)!
Lastly, in 2013 I started a LLB Law (Hons) degree out of curiosity to learn more about the law. I graduated in 2018 with a 2:1 and I can honestly say it was so rewarding and interesting, but bloody hard work!
Final words
Having reviewed my 30-year journey by writing this article, I feel very grateful to the sector. Despite the ups and downs, I have always been so happy in my career. It’s also amusing to look back at that dodgy photograph of myself taken two days before I joined the sector, and to see the nostalgic photo of me thinking I was going to be the next Darcey Bussell.
On a serious note, I have always felt valued and respected as a woman in a male dominated sector and I have always been given the opportunities throughout the years whilst in employment to progress. Having said this, I have also mentioned I have had a tough time along the way, so I won’t be retiring anytime soon…. needless to say I will update you again on my 60th anniversary!!!
Congratulations from everyone at LCRIG
The whole LCRIG team would like to say a huge congratulations to Susanne on this incredible milestone. Susanne has had a profound impact on the sector and on all of us at LCRIG. Our values of laughter, family, achievement and integrity were instilled from day one by Susanne, and she ensures they remain at the heart of everything we do.
Well done, Susanne! Here’s to the next 30 years!