Priorities, people and partnerships: Rachel Ellison’s focus as regional operations director

How place, creativity and purpose shaped a career

Rachel Ellison’s career has been shaped by a deep belief in the power of engineering to improve lives, strengthen communities and create lasting value.

From growing up amid the transformation of East London Docklands to leading major infrastructure projects and developing people, her journey has consistently brought together technical excellence, client focus, collaboration and purpose. Her story is also grounded in family, resilience and curiosity. These are qualities that continue to shape the way Rachel leads, connects people and helps turn opportunity into meaningful outcomes for clients and the communities they serve as operational lead of Mott MacDonald’s UK and Europe region. 

Growing up in the East London Docklands, Rachel was surrounded by visible examples of infrastructure changing lives. “One of my earliest memories at nursery school was taking part in “flood walks” to practise evacuation in the event of the Thames bursting its banks,” she says. “It was a risk that was transformed by the construction of the Thames Barrier.” Visiting the barrier on a school trip years later helped her see first-hand how engineering could protect communities and create long-term resilience. 

Over time she watched the redevelopment of Docklands as the Canary Wharf development and the Docklands Light Railway reshaped the area around her.  

These projects brought new investment, improved connectivity, jobs and wider community benefits

“Seeing infrastructure deliver social, economic and environmental value at such a formative age sparked my interest in the built environment and the lasting impact engineering can have on places and people.” 

Rachel’s first step into engineering came through the military, completing her A-levels at Welbeck Military Academy before joining the Royal Engineers. Although injury prevented her from progressing through the ranks as planned, she says the experience had a lasting influence on her.

“It deepened my understanding of leadership, teamwork and resilience,” she explains. “It also gave me an early appreciation of how effective teams rely on clarity, trust and a shared sense of purpose with every individual understanding the role they play in achieving a common goal.” 

Rachel later went on to study civil engineering and architecture at the University of Bath, a course that brought together science, technical excellence and creativity. “The balance of engineering discipline with architectural thinking reinforced my belief that the built environment is shaped not only through analysis and precision, but also through imagination, collaboration and purpose,” she adds. 

That early combination of seeing the transformation of East London, experiencing the discipline and teamwork of military life and studying a degree that blended technical and creative thinking shaped Rachel’s view of engineering as a force for positive social impact. It also laid the foundations for the leadership approach she would go on to develop – one that is purposeful, people-centred and focused on delivering lasting benefits for communities, clients and society.#

Early career and life transitions

Rachel’s relationship with Costain began before she formally started her career, with the company sponsoring her while she studied at university. This early connection gave her a strong foundation in the industry and led to her first professional roles on some of the UK’s largest and most challenging infrastructure schemes. Projects Rachel worked on include the A2/M2 Cobham to Junction 4 Widening, King’s Cross Station Redevelopment and the A34 Chieveley Improvements. 

These projects helped me build technical capability, understand the importance of quality and a right-first-time approach, as well as appreciate the commercial impact of day-to-day decisions 

“They also reinforced the need for effective planning and – most importantly – embedded safety as the first priority in every activity.” 

Having gained valuable experience in delivery, Rachel chose to broaden her career by moving into work winning as a bid manager for Costain. Her first tender was the M25 Holmesdale Tunnel Refurbishment, a major mechanical, electrical and fire protection upgrade on the UK’s busiest motorways. She helped develop the proposed construction methodology, evidence Costain’s capability and build the commercial submission as part of the submission to the Highways Agency 

The team went on to secure the £73M contract, which Rachel followed into construction as an agent responsible for the tunnel and highways works. As the scheme neared completion, a second tunnel refurbishment opportunity on the M25 emerged at Bell Common. Drawing on the lessons learned at Holmesdale, Rachel stepped up as bid director for the £90M tender and led the team to secure the work. 

Her time on the Holmesdale and Bell Common schemes marked several important personal and professional milestones. “The experience gave me the skills, knowledge and evidence needed to complete my Chartered Professional Review with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and later with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation,” she explains. “It was also where she met her husband. After we both passed our chartership exams, we fulfilled a shared ambition to travel the world for a year before returning home to get married.” 

Rachel’s next role with Costain saw her move to the North West of England as construction manager for Highways England’s (now National Highways) Managed Motorways Programme. The programme comprised a series of projects designed to increase capacity and reduce congestion by using technology to dynamically open the hard shoulder as a running lane. 

Rachel says that it was a defining period in her life, balancing the demands of a major infrastructure role with the responsibilities and joy of becoming a new mum. That experience strengthened her resilience, deepened her empathy and shaped her ability to lead with focus, perspective and care through periods of competing personal and professional priorities.

Delivering a landmark scheme while building a family

Building on her growing track record in major highways delivery and work winning, Rachel was appointed to lead Costain’s £250M A556 Knutsford to Bowdon scheme for Highways England. The scheme created a new 7.5km dual carriageway link between the M6 and M56, including major earthworks, new structures, utility diversions and significant environmental mitigation, including the Northwest of England’s first Green Bridge. 

“As project director, taking on the A556 Knutsford to Bowdon scheme was a significant leadership challenge, but one made possible by a fantastic project team and a strong working relationship with the client and key stakeholders,” she explains.  

“I was responsible for leading the scheme from concept design through options appraisal and the Development Consent Order process, as the first ever Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project in the UK. I also acted as an expert witness during the process, while in parallel managing the development of the detailed design and target cost.” 

This period brought both professional intensity and personal significance. Rachel was heavily pregnant with her second child while leading the DCO process, detailed design and commercial development. Shortly after hearing that the project had received approval, she had her second child and returned to work eight weeks later to lead the construction phase.  

The scheme presented many challenges, both professionally and personally, but it became one of the most rewarding experiences of my career 

“Leading a landmark project from early development through to delivery, while seeing the benefits it would bring to road users and local communities was significant.” 

Before the scheme opened to traffic, the project team held a “welly walk”, inviting friends, families and the local community to walk the length of the new road. It was a special opportunity to celebrate the achievements of everyone involved and to thank the families and friends whose support had helped make delivery possible. For Rachel, the moment carried particular personal significance as her family walked the route together, carrying their young son in his carrier, while her five-year-old daughter was invited to cut the road opening ribbon.  

“It’s a memory that has stayed with our family and has helped inspire my daughter’s own aspirations to become an engineer and follow in her parents’ footsteps,” says Rachel. 

The project went on to receive significant industry recognition, including Major Project of the Year at the Construction News Awards, the Highways England Customer Experience Award and Considerate Constructors Most Considerate Site in Great Britain.

From project delivery to strategic leadership 

After successfully leading the A556 project, Rachel moved to become Costain’s group learning and development director. Although it was not an obvious step for a civil engineer, the role drew on her deep site and delivery experience to help shape the business’s approach to apprenticeships, technical training, career development and mentoring.  

“It became a formative leadership experience, teaching me that effective leadership is not about being a technical expert in every field, but about creating the conditions for others’ expertise to thrive,” she explains. 

Rachel later moved on to become water sector director at Costain, broadening her leadership experience in a market-facing role and further developing her ability to lead through strategy, client focus and commercial understanding. During this period, she also became a Fellow of the ICE, which was an important professional milestone for her that was made even more meaningful because, just as with chartership, she achieved it alongside her husband.

Moving from contracting to consulting 

Rachel joined Mott MacDonald in 2019 as managing director of the water and environment business, a role that gave her international exposure. The role also gave her a deep appreciation of the technical excellence across the sector from water, wastewater and flooding through to environmental planning, sustainability and climate resilience.  

“These capabilities play a critical role in solving complex infrastructure and environmental challenges,” she adds.  

Rachel later became managing director of the advisory and programme management business. “I really enjoyed the breadth of the markets and clients I engaged with in that role,” she says. “It also gave me immense respect for the diversity and excellence of capabilities beyond engineering professions.”  

Working alongside technically excellent specialists across advisory, programme management and related disciplines reinforced for her how valuable these capabilities are in the successful delivery of major infrastructure projects and programmes.

Leading through change 

At the beginning of 2026 Rachel stepped into her current role as Mott MacDonald’s regional operations director for UK and Europe, a business spanning 15 countries, £1bn revenue and over 9000 staff. Rachel plays a central leadership role in driving the operational performance and sustainable growth of the region, working closely with the regional executive team to translate strategic priorities into effective delivery.  

“The role is centred on understanding where clients and markets are heading, while ensuring we bring the right people, capability and insight together to respond with confidence,” she explains. “As clients face increasing pressure to deliver more complex programmes with greater certainty, efficiency and long-term value, I see operational leadership as a way of connecting market insight with practical delivery. My focus is on deepening trusted client relationships, anticipating emerging industry needs and shaping our service offer to help clients achieve better outcomes for the communities they serve.” 

Rachel says that this is particularly important at a time when the infrastructure and consultancy sectors are being reshaped by client expectations, market competitiveness, digital transformation and AI. “Engineering, project and programme management and advisory services all have a critical role to play in helping clients make better decisions earlier, deliver with greater certainty and optimise the performance of their assets over the long term,” she explains.  

Rachel believes Mott MacDonald is best placed when it works as one connected global business that draws on technical excellence, specialist knowledge and practical delivery experience from across regions and disciplines. “A key part of my role is helping to unlock our collective capability, so clients receive integrated, agile and forward-looking support that responds to the challenges of today and anticipates the needs of tomorrow,” she adds. 

Alongside the pace and breadth of her professional role, Rachel places great importance on the balance she finds at home with her family. “Time together gives me perspective, energy and a strong reminder of why infrastructure, places and communities matter,” she says.