Elsa Antunes
Senior Lecturer – Mechanical Engineering
James Cook University
08:30
Registration and welcome coffee
08:50
Opening remarks from the Chair
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN ENGINEERING
09:00
Engineering your future
Problem solvers. Change Makers. Turning Impossible to Possible. Engineers and technical people are uniquely positioned to change and shape the world. This inspiring talk, dives into incredible stories of engineers who have helped shape the world around us causing both gain, and pain. We will explore how our engineering mindset is exactly what is needed in a rapidly changing world and unpack how it might also hold us back from our full potential. Your speaker, Felicity Furey has made her career about making the 'impossible' possible as an engineer and business leader. She will share how an engineering mindset can help you uncover your hidden talents and lead to a career driving meaningful change.
Felicity Furey
Chief Executive Officer
WeAspire
09:45
PANEL DISCUSSION: Many paths, one destination: building a successful career & becoming an effective engineering leader
- What are some of the different pathways to success in engineering?
- How can you spot, act on, and make the most of opportunities?
- What can you do if your career isn't progressing as planned?
- What makes an effective leader, and how can those who don’t want to lead still flourish in their careers?
Moderator:
Asma Gulbaz
Principal Quality Engineer
Slalom
Panellists:
Praema Ranga
Product Services Manager
Boeing
Manju Puthanveetil
Design Excellence Manager
Endeavour Energy
Gaye Francis
Director
R2A
Leah Brown
General Manager Mining and Industrial
Pitt&Sherry
10:35
Morning tea & networking
11:05
ENGINEERING LEADERS ROUNDTABLE: Pioneering change and overcoming challenges
Join a panel of respected engineering leaders who have accumulated numerous honours, awards and experiences throughout their storied careers as they share practical strategies to navigate the challenges you'll face in your career.
Madeleine McManus OAM
Chief Executive Officer
Centre for Professional Engineering Education
Lisa Kinross
Chief Executive Officer
Civil Contractors Federation Victoria
Alexis Davison
Executive Program Director
Major Road Projects Victoria
BUILDING YOUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT & RISK MITIGATION TOOLKIT
11:35
Project management strategies to meet deadlines, reduce costs and achieve project success
- Managing scope creep and resource constraints within your projects
- Tackling communication breakdowns and increasing collaboration between team members and stakeholders
- Creating a strategic plan to combat technical challenges and design constraints during project implementation
- Maximising quality control to adhere to quality standards and regulatory requirements while ensuring customer satisfaction
Eva Simak
Project Manager
Worley
12:05
Networking lunch
13:05
Saving an engineering project in crisis
- Identifying and understanding the types of crises engineers encounter
- Developing robust crisis response plans and protocols
- Building resilience to make informed decisions under pressure during crisis situations
- Fostering collaboration and coordination among internal and external stakeholders to minimize impact
Gosia Suchorska
Project Director
Winslow Infrastructure
13:35
PANEL DISCUSSION: What can we learn from how different engineering disciplines solve their project management problems?
Join engineering leaders from a range of disciplines to discover the challenges they face, how they overcome them, and how you can apply those insights to your own engineering projects.
- What are some real world examples of unique challenges in different engineering disciplines?
- How were those challenges overcome and what can other engineers learn from them?
- What are some novel processes or approaches to problem solving that can be used across different engineering areas?
Moderator:
Tamsyn Parker
Business Development Manager NSW/ACT
BOC South Pacific
Panellists:
Sandra Nilsen
General Manager – Design and Engineering
BESIX Watpac
Sruthi Ramachandran
Lead Engineer
ACCIONA
Nina Lee
Senior Associate – Structures
BG&E
FINDING BALANCE IN YOUR CAREER
14:15
Achieving a thriving engineering career while nurturing a fulfilling personal life
- Finding the balance between work, extracurricular professional development, and life outside the workplace
- Establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life to prioritise self-care, relaxation and family time outside of work hours
- Exploring and advocating for flexible work arrangements to enhance work-life balance
- Building a strong support network
Hester DeWet
Principal, Growth
Aurecon
14:45
Afternoon tea & networking
INTERACTIVE CHAMPAGNE ROUNDTABLES
Discuss ideas, gain practical tips, and work through challenges faced by women across the engineering landscape. This is a unique opportunity to have all your questions answered while you network and build relationships with people you otherwise may not have access to. You will be able to choose three of the below to attend with each roundtable running concurrently over three time slots:
- Round 1: 15:15-15:45
- Round 2: 15:45-16:15
- Round 3: 16:15-16:45
Roundtable 1: How to move from a technical role to a leadership position
Facilitator:
Felicity Furey
Chief Executive Officer
WeAspire
Roundtable 2: Building confidence, combating impostor syndrome & leveraging the power of diverse teams
Facilitator:
Sheryll Ann Duguran
Principal Civil Engineer/ Team Leader
Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec (WGA)
Roundtable 3: Finding, recruiting, hiring and retaining tomorrow’s engineering leaders
Facilitator:
Anita Rajalingam
Head of Talent Acquisition and Community – Engineering
Kogan
Roundtable 4: Engineering a sustainable future
Facilitator:
Michelle Damasio
Senior Environmental Engineer – Sustainability
SMEC
Roundtable 5: Navigating how technology is shaping our people and our projects
Facilitator:
Alison Every
Director, STEM Careers
Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering
Roundtable 6: Defining your leadership style
Facilitator:
Praema Ranga
Product Services Manager
Boeing
Roundtable 7: Communicating with Confidence
Sylvia Iskander
Warath SGT Fleet Engineering Manager
Downer
16:50
Closing remarks from the Chair
17:00
End of Day 1 and networking drinks
18:00
Official Event Dinner
Time: 6.30pm – 9.30pm
Venue: Nags Head Hotel (Room: Winstons Space – Mezzanine Level next Wine Bar)
Address: 162 St Johns Rd, Glebe NSW 2037