About Isobel | isobel

Chartered Civil Engineer

My background is in engineering design. Over the past 25 years I have helped build schools, a hospital, airports and stations, with the consultant Ove Arup and Partners.

Currently I lead a team of 150 designers delivering the design for approx. £1.4bn of construction for HS2.

I am immensely proud to have played my part building the 2012 London Olympics.

I've designed buildings, but also built the teams to get things done. Along the way, I've also learned how to build consensus, get plans agreed, and to help decide what gets built in the first place.

Campaigner

It was my enormous privilege to represent the Conservatives at the last three General Elections.

I have huge experience of running campaigns and standing for election - I got the bug after being elected the first time I stood, as a local councillor.

I've also served as association chair and many other roles within my local Conservative association.

Working Mum

I was thrilled to win the Telegraph Top 50 Engineer Women of the Year 2018

I am proud of the family my husband Charlie and I have together.

We juggle our work and home life, whilst managing the family farm in Clayhanger, near Tiverton in Devon where we keep sheep and cattle, and a small amount of arable land.

A Local Councillor

I have four years experience as an elected local councillor. I was invited to join the shadow Cabinet, taking the Safer Communities portfolio. This gave me the opportunity to work with the council and residents to reduce crime and the fear of crime, and to ask searching questions about how well the council works with the police and emergency services. I stood down as a Councillor in May 2014.

Voluntary work in the Community

Until 2021 I was a Trustee for the international humanitarian charity RedR: I initiated a charity day called 'Wear Red for RedR which annually raises over £20,000.
As part of a team of 3, I wrote and produced an award-winning national programme of school careers events, ‘The Rapid Response Engineering Challenge’, which has now reached hundreds of schools.
Last year I marched in support of the successful campaign to keep open St Stanislaus church in Dulverton.
I was a longstanding Governor at a primary school for children with learning disabilities.
Before that, I was a Governor at a primary for children with autistic spectrum disorder conditions. It is a similar school to the one my older sister attended, and SEN education is a cause close to my heart.
I set up and ran a Youth Group for 14-17-year olds at my church.