AECOM Executive Highlights Growth of Female Representation in Construction

Industry Pulse News Desk · 2026-09-28

AECOM Advisory Chief Executive Jill Hudkins reflected on structural changes for women in the engineering and construction sector over her 30-year career.

DALLAS — Women entering the engineering and construction sectors face an evolving corporate landscape marked by increased female representation and shifting workplace dynamics, according to Jill Hudkins, chief executive of AECOM Advisory.

Hudkins, who has worked in the infrastructure and engineering consulting industry for 30 years, noted a structural shift in the demographic composition of technical and executive meetings since beginning her career. During the early stages of her career, female professionals were often the sole women present in project planning sessions and boardroom discussions.

Addressing industry peers, Hudkins emphasized the importance of taking on complex, high-visibility assignments to drive professional growth. She encouraged rising female leaders in the sector to embrace difficult operational challenges and seek out technical decision-making roles despite historic gender imbalances in technical disciplines.

The broader construction and engineering fields have historically reported low rates of female participation, particularly in field operations and executive management. However, industry tracking data indicates gradual increases in female representation within managerial, advisory, and specialized engineering roles over the past decade.

Corporate initiatives and recruitment efforts across major firms have increasingly focused on retaining female talent and expanding mentorship pathways to support long-term leadership pipelines.

AECOM Advisory operates as a business unit within infrastructure consulting firm AECOM, delivering strategic consulting, digital transformation solutions, and program management services for commercial and public sector clients globally.