Every ride, attraction and family experience at LEGOLAND Windsor Resort depends on teams working behind the scenes to keep the park operating safely and smoothly. Among them are engineers solving problems, maintaining complex systems and responding quickly when the unexpected happens.
Yet women remain significantly underrepresented in the profession. In the UK, women make up just 16.9% of the engineering and technology workforce, despite the sector employing around one in five workers nationally.
International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) celebrates the women helping to reshape the industry and recognises the skills, creativity and leadership they bring.
This year’s theme, “#EngineeringIntelligence”, recognises the valuable knowledge and expertise engineers apply every day. It is a theme that comes to life across LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, where OCS colleagues, working in partnership with Merlin Entertainments, help maintain the systems and environments that support memorable experiences for thousands of guests.
Among those colleagues are Facilities Maintenance Technician Kiah Hudman and Senior Water Technician Rosie Easy. Their roles are very different, but both play an important part in keeping one of the UK’s most popular attractions running safely and efficiently.
Behind the Scenes of the Guest Experience
Behind every ride, every water feature and every family moment at LEGOLAND Windsor is a network of systems, equipment and infrastructure that has to work first time, every time. Kiah and Rosie are part of the team that makes sure it does.
For Kiah, she draws on her background as an electrician; she responds to maintenance issues across the resort, diagnoses faults, and carries out repairs across multiple disciplines, including electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, and general maintenance. Her role calls for technical expertise, swift decision-making and the ability to explain complex issues clearly to colleagues across the business.
“Using our initiative and thinking on our feet to solve problems quickly, effectively and safely for guests is what engineering intelligence looks like every day.”
Kiah Hudman
Facilities Maintenance Technician – LEGOLAND Windsor Resort
For Rosie, the focus is on one of the resort’s most critical but largely unseen functions, water management.
As Senior Water Technician, she works as part of a 26-strong technical services team and supports around 16 water features spanning the resort each day. Alongside this, she oversees shower descales, flushing programmes and a wide range of reactive tasks that help keep systems safe, compliant and operating effectively.
Her role includes identifying trends, planning preventive maintenance, and investigating complications before they impact operations or the guest experience.
“If we’ve done our job properly, everything just works. That’s what I enjoy most, solving problems early and continually looking for ways to improve.”
Rosie Easy
Senior Water Technician – LEGOLAND Windsor Resort
Finding a Place in Engineering
Neither Kiah nor Rosie followed a traditional route into engineering.
Growing up, Kiah had hoped to join the army. When medical issues prevented that path, she decided to learn a trade and followed in her grandfather’s footsteps, becoming an electrician.
Six years working on building sites gave her the self-assurance and perseverance to succeed in a male-dominated industry and eventually brought her to LEGOLAND Windsor, where she still continues to broaden her skills, learn new things and share her knowledge with others.
Rosie’s journey began with a passion for hands-on projects, such as mechanics and working on her classic Mini in her spare time. After a career in customer services, she wanted to find a role that would challenge her in different ways and discovered an opportunity in water treatment.
What began as a change of direction quickly became a career she loves. The variety keeps her engaged. The technical challenge, from water chemistry to fault diagnosis, keeps her sharp.
Solving problems before they become bigger issues
Engineering Intelligence in Action
The reality of engineering is often found in the moments that guests never notice.
Rosie recently helped resolve a complex issue affecting one area of the resort by spotting that two seemingly separate problems were connected. Working with her team, she helped identify the right solution before it could lead to wider disruption.
The scale of the work is easy to overlook. On a typical day, Rosie and her colleagues manage multiple water systems and respond to issues across the resort, regularly resolving problems long before guests are aware that anything needs attention.
For Kiah, engineering is equally about people. She believes a significant part of engineering involves helping colleagues understand technical issues, remaining calm under pressure and assuring everyone involved is informed and reassured.
Engineering at this level is as much about communication and collaboration as it is about technical skill. Both Kiah and Rosie know that. It shows in how they work.
Creating Opportunities for the Next Generation
Women working in engineering continue to meet challenges in industries that have traditionally been male-dominated. Kiah believes that confidence and a strong support network are essential, and she encourages young women to believe in themselves and not be deterred by others’ opinions.
Rosie shares a similar message. She encourages women considering engineering to take the leap, highlighting the training and support available and the variety that makes the profession so interesting and rewarding.
Working in partnership with Merlin Entertainments, OCS is committed to creating opportunities for women in engineering because diverse teams bring different perspectives, strengthen decision-making and support better outcomes for colleagues, customers and guests.
“Women in engineering bring diverse perspectives, skills and leadership that strengthen our ability to deliver safe, reliable and effective environments across some of the UK’s most high-profile attractions. Valuing and supporting women in the field is fundamental to maintaining high standards, driving continuous improvement and reflecting the inclusive culture both organisations are committed to.
“A diverse workforce across OCS and Merlin is a key driver of operational excellence and guest experience. By bringing together individuals with different backgrounds, insights and approaches, we improve problem-solving, strengthen decision-making and ensure our teams are better equipped to meet the evolving needs of our guests and customers.”
Technical Services Director (Private FM)
International Women in Engineering Day is an opportunity to recognise the women already making an impact across the industry, while encouraging more young women to consider engineering as a rewarding and meaningful career.
Kiah and Rosie show what that future can look like: different paths, different disciplines, a shared commitment to learning and solving problems, and keeping the magic moving for every guest who walks through the gates.
