Meet one of Mott MacDonald Bentley's brilliant people: Ruoqi Lin, design lead

Meet one of our brilliant people: Ruoqi Lin, a design lead based in the South of England.

Ruoqi speaks about her work on Mott MacDonald Bentley's (MMB) Thames Water framework, and how she strives to create an inclusive, collaborative environment.

Tell us about your role and where you are based.

Currently, I'm based in London and part of the MMB team delivering a number of clean water non-infrastructure schemes including a service reservoir project in the Thames Valley, as part of MMB's Thames Water framework.

How do you deliver excellence in your role?

I believe at the core of MMB is the team delivering excellence, not the individual.

One standout example of a collective approach to excellence was my team's work on a series of new service reservoir jobs in the Thames region. At the time, this was a new client, relationship and type of job. However, the collective pulled together and was able to deliver successfully.

First, by drawing from previous experience from similar jobs to complete a lessons learnt review, and second, adapting the solution to the needs of the client. By getting out of our comfort zone to build a strong relationship with the client and taking them on a journey, we can ensure their expectations were met.

Describe life at Mott MacDonald Bentley in three words.

Excellence, challenge and collaboration.

How do you strive to create an inclusive, collaborative and supportive environment at Mott MacDonald Bentley?

My career path is quite unique: I grew up in Shanghai and moved to the UK for study at a young age and was inspired to follow a career in the water sector after volunteering in Tanzania, where I learned the value of water infrastructure and the challenges you can face.

I find that, thanks to my multi-cultural background, colleagues sometimes reach out to me and share their thoughts. That's why I think, to create an inclusive environment we should have a safe space to speak up and take time to listen. I also aim to be a bold person, who asks questions and sets an example for others, especially those who are just starting their career at MMB.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Keep curious about things, keep asking questions and find out what you are passionate about, as that will fuel you through life!

What has been your proudest achievement?

I have two. The first is being able to build a strong team feeling in my work, achieving this by fostering the relationship with Thames Water and building a strong relationship within my team.

The second is outside of work, I enjoy playing football and started a women's football team in 2023 - starting with just 16 people, it has grown to become a big community, which brings people together and created a real community feel around the game.