First winner of mentoring medal helps inspire engineers of the future

A civil engineering mentor has been recognised for his dedication to supporting newcomers to the profession.

The inaugural Phil Tindall Memorial Medal was presented to Richard Brooks of Waterman Group at an awards evening hosted by the Worshipful Company of Engineers.

The award, which comes with a £1,000 prize, was established by the Rochester Bridge Trust in memory of Phil Tindall, a civil engineer who inspired many young engineers during his 40-year career.

Derek Butler, Senior Warden at the Trust, said: “Richard is clearly passionate about the growth and success of his mentees, placing importance on strong interpersonal professional relationships and the provision of constructive, positive feedback to motivate others. 

“He impressed the judges with the way he encourages the new engineers to take ownership of their work, enabling everyone to feel their worth and so improving project quality and outcomes for all.”

Redhill-based Brooks is national lead for civil structures at Waterman Group.

Passionate about mentoring, he has acted as supervising civil engineer or primary sponsor to 10 engineers working towards their professional development qualifications, and he regularly engages in career development activities at local schools and colleges.

Since joining Waterman in 1997 as a graduate engineer from the University of Sheffield, Brooks has gone on to play a leading role in Waterman’s civil engineering services line specialising in bridge and temporary works design.

Throughout his career, he has built a portfolio including a range of prestigious projects, such as the Royal Woolwich Arsenal Crossrail box, The Star and Garter redevelopment in Richmond, and multiple bridges.

He was recently awarded Fellowship of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Brooks said he was "thrilled" to win the prestigious award, especially as it relates so closely to something he is passionate about.

"Helping early careers engineers to grow their confidence, skills and knowledge is vital for our industry, and I consider it a privilege to help set their careers off on the right track," he said.

"Really, this award reflects the work of my whole team, since they all contribute their time and expertise to support our budding civil engineers, so we’ll celebrate this together!”

The Rochester Bridge Trust is a medieval charity responsible for providing crossings of the River Medway in Kent. In addition, it facilitates and provides engineering education for people of all ages, to support the bridge builders of the future. All of its works are carried out at no cost to the public.Phil