Roxanna Thomas: building a culture of inclusion and collaboration at Mott MacDonald

From driving inclusion initiatives to shaping community impact, Roxanna Thomas, regional inclusion and community impact manager for North America, thrives on collaboration and creating meaningful change. We caught up with her to learn about her career journey, how trust empowers innovation, and why embracing curiosity helps her champion inclusion and growth across the organization.

What do you do at Mott MacDonald and what are you currently working on?

I am the regional inclusion and community impact manager for North America, and my role sits in three areas: internal inclusion initiatives and compliance, supplier engagement, and corporate social responsibility. I am always working on multiple projects at the same time, but a new one is a Mentor Protégé program connecting our team members with peers from a partnering firm who would like to increase their knowledge of specific areas, such as recruitment, business expansion, human resources, and marketing.

What does a typical day look like for you at Mott MacDonald, and how do you find opportunities to excel in your role?

Every day varies because of the nature of my projects. There will typically be a few team check-in calls, lots of writing, reviewing, and researching, and trying my best to keep pace with emails. The way I have found opportunities to excel in my role is leaning into my natural disposition of being bookish. It is important that I am up to date on legislation, client trends, and new directives to best support various areas of the business.

What opportunities have you had to grow your specialism or develop your career here?

From the very beginning I was told, “you have a job description, but you should do what the business needs”. With that in mind, I have not been afraid to spot opportunities where I could add value, be innovative in solving problems, and operate from a growth mindset. As a result, my role has evolved from the start, and I have been able to develop a career that genuinely aligns with my skill sets and passion.

At work, how do you manage your safety and wellbeing?

I feel completely comfortable in saying, “I am taking a mental health day”. I believe it is important to normalize self-care before your battery is fully depleted.

What does it mean to you to be trusted to do brilliant things at Mott MacDonald?

It means being enabled to work from my ‘Zone of Genius’. I know my strengths, and it’s even better when my organization empowers me to use them. Receiving that level of trust allows me to be innovative in my work.

How do you collaborate with colleagues to achieve common goals?

Mott MacDonald is a large organization, with over 20,000 of us around the world. Even with the large population, I have no difficulty connecting with people to share knowledge and solve problems. Right now, I am working on two company-wide projects and, in order to keep the workstreams progressing, we have regular check-ins and use a program tracker to make sure we are mindful of deliverables. These teams include people from time zones around the world, so one of our biggest tasks in the beginning was determining the rotation of who has to get up early vs. who has to stay up late.  We have open communication and work on gelling as a team. This creates a space for us to challenge ideas and ask hard questions but knowing it is all in effort to achieve the best result.

How does Mott MacDonald create an environment where you feel empowered and supported?

The approachability of our leadership is top notch. I feel comfortable in reaching out, asking questions, asking for support or sharing a differing opinion. These things help tremendously in creating a work environment where people can openly communicate and feel empowered.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start their career at Mott MacDonald?

Be open and lean into taking stretch assignments – in particular those outside of your immediate comfort zone. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to other team members and ask questions. I have found people to be kind and generous with their time and more than willing to help.