AFTER 25 YEARS as a structural engineer, clambering up scaffolding in her safety helmet and building-site boots, supervising the construction of anything from high-rises to the shark aquarium at Ocean Park, Helen Kwan is used to the inevitable question: 'What on earth is a woman doing in this business?'
She is entitled to smile at the suggestion that this is not an obvious line of work for a petite Hong Kong woman. What is more, she has risen higher in the profession than most men.
A partner at JMK Consulting Engineers, Ms Kwan is also a prominent figure in the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. Last year she became the first chairwoman of the institution's structural division.
She has also been appointed to represent her profession on various government bodies, including the Town Planning Board and the Buildings Department.
'I have to admit I was in the minority when I started out,' she said. When she was studying civil and structural engineering at the University of British Columbia in Canada, where her parents had emigrated, only 6 or 7 per cent of the undergraduates were women.
Her heart was set on construction from an early age.
'I seldom played with Barbie dolls,' she recalled. 'When I was young, I always admired magnificent buildings. I was also good at maths, physics and mechanics. I loved problem-solving, and engineering seemed a good profession for someone with an analytical mind.'