Thessa Luijendijk, sustainable infrastructure advisor Province of South Holland

The infrastructure sector is still too much seen as a man's world. Nothing could be further from the truth. More and more women are finding jobs and a place in the world of civil engineering. And we are happy to introduce them to you in detail. In each edition of GWW-Bouwmat, we let a woman from the sector talk about her job and what makes it so great. In this edition, we give the floor to Thessa Luijendijk, sustainable infrastructure advisor for the province of South Holland. But she is so much more, and in many ways makes a case for innovation and inclusion in the infra.

Still only 26 years young, Thessa is a young woman. However, she knew at the age of 12 that she would eventually aspire to a job in road construction. After a taster internship in high school at a road construction company, she was sold and decided to study civil engineering in Utrecht. "In the third year I got the chance to do another internship. Twice, in fact. The first at an engineering firm, the second time at a road construction company where I got to help develop asphalt."

Thessa graduated in heavy-duty asphalt construction at an engineering firm and also stuck there for several years as a road construction consultant. "During those years, I further educated myself as a road construction laboratory technician, and most importantly gained a lot of practical experience," she says. "At some point it started itching again and I made the switch to contracting, which I enjoyed immensely. I got to start developing new asphalt again and had my feet in the clay on a regular basis. More than two and a half years later, a vacancy came my way for a sustainable infrastructure consultant with the Province of South Holland. A job in which you can make a real social impact. That was also what immediately attracted me."

In her current position, Thessa is still involved in asphalt development, but at a different level. "I'm actually still doing what I enjoy, but I'm also busy creating support for new asphalt developments on the client side in particular. The contracting industry has the knowledge and expertise, and we desperately need it to eventually evolve into a climate-neutral and circular infrastructure. I am happy to commit to that. Having grown up among men, I don't feel treated differently or unwelcome. In fact, once they know what they have on you, they may hold you even higher. And besides, having a woman on a team naturally increases the atmosphere."

In addition to being a consultant for the province of South Holland, her impact extends much further, crossing both provincial and national borders. "I am actively involved in various assignments and groups working on climate-neutral and circular infrastructure. For example, I am a member of the Interprovincial Professional Consultation on Pavements and the CROW Working Group on Warm Mix Asphalt. My contributions are recognized and appreciated which can be traced to the fact that I am in the finals for the Cobouw Young Talent Award 2024. I also get to speak about Warm Mix Asphalt and other innovations around sustainable infrastructure that I am involved with at the Asphalt Day on December 10 and at InfraTech in January 2025. I also stand for diversity and inclusion in the industry, including by giving guest lectures to young girls and recently being involved in setting up a European community for women in the asphalt and bitumen industry." So Thessa is not only a consultant, but also an ambassador for a diverse and inclusive future in infra.