Shaping the Future of Water Engineering: Nikki Kaur's Journey and Impact

Young professionals play a crucial role in the future of the UK water industry by offering new perspectives, digital skills, and the drive to address significant challenges within the sector. Nikki Kaur's career path has progressed from a graduate engineer to a senior engineer, exemplifying the impact of determination, resilience, and an innovative approach GHD strives for in their people.  

Delivering Water Resources – Addressing Water Scarcity 
Nikki's role at GHD has been critical in the delivery of significant water-infrastructure projects, most notably the Havant Thicket Reservoir, the UK's first new reservoir in 40 years. As package lead for non-reservoir works, Nikki has demonstrated strong judgement, leadership, and technical ability. Her success in securing ground investigation specification approval demonstrates excellent communication skills and unwavering commitment to robust engineering solutions. 

Championing Innovation 
At the core of Nikki’s contributions is her advocacy for innovative practices. She has streamlined project coordination and digital workflows by championing the use of the common data environment. This shift has improved collaboration, traceability, and efficiency within engineering workflows. Nikki also prioritises sustainability, exploring alternatives to conventional infrastructure and advocating for low carbon solutions. 

Fostering Global Collaboration 
Nikki's influence extends beyond project-specific innovations. She has strengthened collaboration across GHD’s global teams, refining communication strategies to optimise international teamwork. Moreover, her efforts to integrate GHD UK into humanitarian engineering initiatives reflect her commitment to leveraging technical skills for global good. Nikki is working on a business case to establish a partnership with RedR UK, allowing GHD employees to contribute their technical skills to disaster-relief efforts. 

Empowering Future Engineers 
As vice chair of GHD’s Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group and secretary of the Institution of Civil Engineers Southeast and London Water Panel, she champions professional development and inclusivity. Her leadership and advocacy work strives for an industry that not only performs at a high level but also supports diverse talent. 

As the industry faces an increasing demand for innovation and sustainability, Nikki's journey shows how blending technical skill, innovative thinking and a commitment to inclusivity can help shape the future of water. Attracting and empowering young talent is not just a workforce priority for GHD, it is fundamental to ensuring the industry's long-term security and success. Nikki sets a powerful example for aspiring engineers, proving that with vision and determination, one can drive meaningful change.

About GHD

GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 12,000+ professionals is connected across 160 offices located on five continents.