Women Driving Change in the Energy Savings Industry - Dr Zainab Dangana

1 December 2025

From architecture to sustainable innovation: Leading change through collaboration

In the latest instalment of our Women Driving Change series, we speak with Dr Zainab Dangana, Head of Sustainable Technology Services at Wates Group. Drawing on her background in architecture and a PhD in Sustainable Construction and Management, Dr Zainab discusses how research, innovation and collaboration can help transform the built environment. She reflects on her career journey, her leadership approach and the importance of visibility for women driving the transition to a more sustainable future.

Watch the full video of Dr Zainab’s interview on YouTube.

Dr Zainab Dangana, Head of Sustainable Technology Services at Wates Group

From architecture to sector impact

Trained as an architect, Dr Zainab has spent more than two decades in the construction industry, working across Africa, Asia, the Americas and the UK. After about ten years in practice, she decided to retrain to broaden her impact beyond design. She returned to university and completed a master's in construction management, followed by a PhD sponsored by Wates Group.

Her doctoral and postdoctoral work focused on developing a framework to promote the uptake of sustainable innovations to deliver net zero buildings.The outcomes of that research directly inspired the creation of Wates’ Sustainable Technology Services, the team she now leads. This work laid the foundation for a career that bridges research and application, connecting suppliers, clients and partners to identify and adopt solutions that reduce carbon and improve efficiency.

Turning research into practical solutions

Dr Zainab’s daily work is about making innovation actionable. She supports both Wates and its clients to understand needs, identify suitable products, and manage trials and installations so that successful technologies can be scaled across portfolios. Her role is deliberately practical and facilitative: she described the part she plays as acting “as a catalyst and a facilitator to bridge that gap between suppliers and end users”.

This applied approach has produced tangible tools and routes to market, helping clients navigate complex decision making and accelerating progress towards Net Zero.

Scaling innovation through collaboration

Among Dr Zainab’s proudest achievements is helping to connect innovators with industry partners to accelerate the adoption of sustainable technologies through the Wates Innovation Network. She describes her work as a collective effort to scale solutions and drive meaningful, system-wide change across the built environment.

Leadership that empowers others

Dr Zainab describes her leadership style as collaborative and purpose driven. Her leadership philosophy centres on trust, empathy and empowerment. She sees her role as enabling others to thrive:

“Leadership is about creating an environment where people feel trusted, supported and encouraged.”

She also shared that, over time, she has learned to empower others to embrace the idea that “80 percent is good enough,” to maintain consistency, rather than striving for perfection at every step.

Practical advice for those considering the sector

Like many professionals working in traditionally male-dominated sectors, Dr Zainab has faced moments that tested her confidence and determination. Yet she describes these experiences as catalysts for growth, helping her to strengthen her leadership style and commitment to delivering results through collaboration and expertise: “Those experiences pushed me to build credibility through excellence”.

Her advice for others in similar situations is to focus on competence and confidence: to let the quality of your work speak first, while also ensuring that contributions are visible and valued. Dr Zainab also emphasises that there are many roles beyond on-site construction, including project management, marketing and finance.

She also recommends joining professional networks and becoming visible where possible. Suggested routes include LinkedIn groups, the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), as well as employer or sector mentorship programmes. Speaking at events, sharing work publicly and engaging with peers are simple ways to build confidence and profile. As she puts it, “be proud of your contributions and make them visible”.

Why energy technology needs more women

When asked why more women should consider the field, Dr Zainab shared that women can bring different perspectives, creativity and empathy, all of which are valuable for innovation and problem solving. “This is not just a career; it is an opportunity to make a lasting impact,” she said, urging women to see the sector as a place to shape solutions for a cleaner, more sustainable world.

Watch the full interview with Dr Zainab on YouTube to hear more about her career and approach to scaling sustainable technologies.

Further reading and resources

Read previous interviews in the Women Driving Change series: