Get to know our alumni

What or who is your biggest source of inspiration in your career so far?
A role model that has inspired me was an Operations Team Lead on one of our offshore platforms. I'll always remember this particular start-of-shift meeting in the control room. It was nearing the end of a major planned shutdown. Some units were already online, whilst major maintenance was still ongoing on others. And it was crew change day — quite an overwhelming situation to walk into for the oncoming crew. The Operations Team Lead was a confident, charismatic and inspiring leader. Despite the hive of activity and change, he was able to provide the team with clarity, priority and focus. He helped create calm and control amongst the chaos. I remember thinking that was exactly the Operations Team Leader I one day wanted to be. Fast forward a few years and here I am — the Operations Team Lead on the same platform. Now, when I lead my morning meetings in the control room, I hold myself to account to try provide that same level of leadership. I'm extremely mindful that my tone, my choice of words and the vibe I create have a direct impact on team performance and process safety every day.

If you could go back in time and work on any engineering feat what would it be? Why?
I still get excited about being an integral part of operating the North West Shelf gas venture. It's Australia's largest resource development project. When I stand on the North Rankin Bravo platform and stare across the bridge at the Alpha platform, I marvel at the fact that back in the 1970's and 80's, a bunch of geologists, drillers and engineers found this jackpot of a gas reservoir 135km off the coast of Western Australia and drilled 25 wells from it — wells that are still producing today, providing energy to the world.

The drilling modules are now decommissioned but all the old equipment is still there. Huge mud pumps, mud tanks, shale shakers… still and quiet. It's like walking through a drilling museum. I would have loved to be there when it was alive with noise and activity. I can imagine them working in shorts and t-shirts, mullets and moustaches, high-fiving their epic discovery and doing it all without computers. Occasionally I come across some of the original datasheets and calculations — they're all hand-drawn and hand-calculated. It still amazes me what engineering could achieve back then, without the technology aides we have today.

How has your perception of engineering changed since you started working?
At school and university we're trained to be very focused on performance — high quality deliverables that are detailed and accurate. Over the years I've learned that Engineering as a profession relies heavily on effective communication, influencing and networking. Communication: it is essential to be able to articulate your ideas and findings in all forms - emails, report, phone calls, corridor conversations and presenting at meetings. Influencing: you don't get to choose your colleagues. You will be faced with stakeholders of all personalities, backgrounds and communication styles. Success is being able to adapt your style to effectively influence your target audience. Networking: the cliché “it's not what you know, but who you know” is true. Engineers make things happen. And having the right people by your side at the right time can make all the difference. These three skills (communication, influencing and networking) are not just nice-to-haves. I’ve learned that it’s equally important to invest time in growing these skills as it is investing time in producing quality deliverables.

What role does engineering have in shaping the future of work?
The pandemic has been a great demonstration of the agility, adaptability and innovation that humans are capable of. When presented with this huge challenge, we have seen hospitals built within days, vaccines progressed in record time, technology keep us professionally and personally connected, and companies like Spotify lead the way with their new 'work from anywhere' policy. I believe more change will come as we settle down into a post-COVID-19 world and continue to challenge our norms, beliefs and values. Necessity is the mother of all creation. Where there is a need, science, technology and engineering will answer the call.

You’ve been given this Friday off work, what are you doing to make the most of the day off/long weekend?
It’s Easter long weekend as I write this, so a good test case for this question… I’ve been for a long ride on my new road bike (a Bianchi Oltre xr3 — a COVID-treat after working some long swings offshore last year), a few short runs, brunch with friends, studying for my MBA Accounting exam, made a big batch of homemade muesli (something I’ve kept up ever since University) and getting set up for our new puppy that's arriving soon. Although... long weekends mean less to me now that I work a 3/4/3/5 fly-in-fly-out roster. This one falls in the middle of a five-week break which I’m thoroughly enjoying...

Rachel Smith is the Operations Team Lead at Woodside Energy Limited's North Rankin Complex

What or who is your biggest source of inspiration in your career so far?
I take inspiration from everyone I meet and interact with. Sometimes it's from the goals that others set and their drive to achieve them, other times it's as simple as watching another person pick up a piece of litter or from how someone has communicated in an email. I see every moment as an opportunity to learn from others, and sometimes it's learning from their mistakes. If I had to choose just one person it would be my service group leader Gordon Wemyss who leads the Transport Service Group for New Zealand, and who lead the Transport Planning team (my first line manager) when I started at Aurecon as a graduate. He is a leader that always puts our people first and is never too busy to chat. I admire this quality and hope that even as the responsibility grows throughout my own career, I can emulate some of Gordon’s leadership qualities as well as he does, and hopefully inspire other graduates in the process.

If you could go back in time and work on any engineering feat what would it be? Why?
It's not so much a feat of engineering but more an outcome from town planning. When our cities in New Zealand were being planned originally, I would love to have had a say in future proofing our transport corridors - providing road reserves much wider than our typical 20.1m, so that in years to come there is enough room for both vehicles and active modes whilst ensuring we don’t have to sacrifice the amenity value and our gorgeous native trees. The Auckland Harbour Bridge would have been a pretty epic project to be involved in as an engineer at the time.

How has your perception of engineering changed since you started working?
The value I place on my engineering degree has increased significantly since I started working. As an engineer you get taught methods for problem finding and problem solving. It's not until you really get out of university and into the workforce that you realise just how transferrable those skills are and how desirable that way of thinking is within other industries such as business, supply chain, banking, finance, the list could go on. I would also add that my understanding of just how much of our everyday lives depends on engineers to design, build and construct our infrastructure has increased exponentially, as has my respect for all the talented people who came before me.

What role does engineering have in shaping the future of work?
Engineering itself will lead to more roles currently held by humans to be optimised and automated, but this will also lead to the creation of new roles. The paradox being that the more digital we become, the more we need highly evolved human skills such as empathy and creativity to navigate the evolving world. Engineering will always be required to help solve supply and demand problems whether its traffic on the road, clean drinking water from your tap, new housing developments, just as it always has done. The key changes will be in the breadth of the skill sets of the engineers solving those problems.

You’ve been given this Friday off work, what are you doing to make the most of the day off/long weekend?
Heading to the Coromandel, my happy place, with my bike, a good book and a few bottles of wine to share with my friends. For most of this year I would have said making the most of that time to study for the GMAT, so I am excited have that exam out of the way and now I can get back into some training (cycling and running) over the summer. I’m certainly more of an ‘active’ relaxer.

Cass is a Senior Transport Engineer at Aurecon

What or who is your biggest source of inspiration in your career so far?
I take inspiration from two main sources: colleagues and thought-leaders in the podosphere. Of the colleagues I have worked with, Kurt Akeley, the CTO of Lytro and founding team member of Silicon Graphics, really stands out with his clarity of technical analysis and crystal clear communication of technical concepts - to any audience. I also take inspiration from colleagues who have conducted themselves admirably in challenging times, like former managers, and effective senior engineers who have walked-the-walk in their methodical pursuit of engineering solutions. And of course, I’m continually amazed by the bleeding-edge work the talented work the team at IMAGR do. Beyond those I have worked directly with, I'm excited to be living in a time where it’s possible to learn a lot from industry leaders in the pod and blogospheres. Those on my radar in the engineering management space include Wade Chambers, anything from the SFELC, the Work-Life podcast, content produced by prominent technology-oriented venture capitalists, and of course, thought-leadership from outside of my domain.

If you could go back in time and work on any engineering feat what would it be? Why?It has to be a cliché, but being part of the Apollo moon landing would have been a phenomenal experience. To contribute to an effort that catapulted the imagination of modern consciousness through this enormous multi-disciplinary engineering effort, solving really hard problems, would have been exhilarating to the point of exhaustion. That’s hard to beat.

How has your perception of engineering changed since you started working?
What I now realize is that there is a huge amount of creativity involved in building things, and there is craft in every aspect of directing this creativity. There is beauty in problems that don’t appear sexy at first glance, and there is beauty in the processes applied to solve those problems. I have also realized that we can all solve big, challenging problems if we break them down into small manageable pieces. This applies broadly, right down to the individual. We’re all capable of being polymaths to some degree.

What role does engineering have in shaping the future of work?
This question is actually even more interesting to answer post-COVID19, as economies are actively redesigning themselves to adapt to a new contactless world. In a recent thought-provoking piece, prominent venture capitalist Mark Andresson challenged us all to build things that matter. As a society, I believe we need to concentrate our intelligence and effort on building things that matter to move the world forward. This puts valuable pressure on engineers to direct their energy towards the things that have the potential to make our lives in this new post-pandemic world better. In my last position, I worked on advancing virtual reality to enable new virtual communication mediums. Now at IMAGR, I work on a frictionless, contactless retail experience. I think these two areas are actually both good examples of worthwhile avenues for engineering to pursue as we adjust to our new world.

You’ve been given this Friday off work, what are you doing to make the most of the day off/long weekend?
I definitely have a predisposition to create things. I have an old classic car that I like to work on when I can. I would take my day off to spend a little extra time tinkering with it and daydreaming about what to do next.

Mark is the Head of Engineering at IMAGR

What or who is your biggest source of inspiration in your career so far?
The huge impact the work of engineers can have on communities where basic needs are not met – where there is poor sanitation, unsafe and scarce drinking water, poor shelter or dangerous roads. Travelling around the world, you really notice how valued engineers are in countries where these things are not in good shape – and it’s very humbling. I’ve been fortunate to be able to directly assist disadvantaged people through some of my project work such as improving water and wastewater in communities across Fiji.

If you could go back in time and work on any engineering feat what would it be? Why?
Going back to Victorian times and working with Sir Joseph Bazalgette on the first London sewerage system. This was such a transformative project for London. They had lost 25,000 people through cholera epidemics due to poor sanitation – waste was running through the streets and into the River Thames. Although they didn’t know it at the time, this was contaminating their drinking water and causing the outbreaks. Bazalgette’s scheme reduced the threat of cholera and allowed London to grow for over 150 years – it’s only in recent times, with the Thames Tideway Tunnel, that new major sewer work of this scale has been required. Another attraction is the impressiveness of its Victorian engineering – my first job after graduating was in London where I saw Bazalgette’s Crossness Pumping Station (1865). It was highly ornate inside, like a cathedral, and was opened by the Prince of Wales – quite different to any pump station I had seen before!

How has your perception of engineering changed since you started working?
Engineering has moved from being purely about the functionality and the utility purpose of assets to considering a much wider range of outcomes – sustainability, amenity value, resilience, legacy. Our solutions now must be multi-functional. This has enhanced the value of the work engineers do and led to a much more collaborative approach with engineers working with many other disciplines and stakeholders to achieve this. I think this ultimately makes the work of engineers more fulfilling and their work more valuable to society.

What role does engineering have in shaping the future of work?
The nature of the future of work is the subject of much speculation – even more so in the days of COVID-19. I think that engineering must support adaptation and flexibility – to provide solutions that allow for change – whether that’s public transport systems that can switch from centralised to decentralised work patterns or providing and utilising virtual collaborative platforms and design tools.

You’ve been given this Friday off work, what are you doing to make the most of the day off/long weekend?
I’ll be checking the tides and the weather forecast. If its looking good, I’ll be on my paddleboard – I really enjoy the sun and the sea and we’ve got such great beaches in Auckland. After that, maybe a snooze in the hammock listening to the Tuis.

Matt is the Business Leader Water at Jacobs

What or who is your biggest source of inspiration in your career so far?
My PhD supervisor Dr. Kepa Morgan. I completed my doctoral studies under his supervision and had a lot of time to get to know him. I was inspired by his holistic but practical approach to realising engineering solutions, interacting with students, and conducting his life in general.

If you could go back in time and work on any engineering feat what would it be? Why?
I would like to work on one of the Egyptian Pyramids or the building of the Coliseum in Rome or Roman aqueducts. I am amazed at the longevity and beauty of ancient structures like these and am sure I would learn a lot if I could and see first-hand the ancient building methods used and the way these iconic structures were analysed and designed.

How has your perception of engineering changed since you started working?
Prior to joining the workforce, I understood engineering to be a method of designing and delivering safe structures. My perception of engineering has changed to recognise that for many projects, the use of simple engineering concepts and design is all that is required and this process can be repetitive. From my experience, I have come to realise that delivering a good or great engineering solutions seem to be influenced more by:

• understanding the client and their needs well; and
• having good internal and external communication to enable all parties to complete their tasks effectively and in a timely manner.

What role does engineering have in shaping the future of work?
The role of engineering and engineers is to provide for the needs and wants of people and society. As consumption continues to increase in the future and resources become insufficient to meet demand, engineering will be needed all the more to create new and innovative solutions. The future will have a reduced the number of menial and repetitive jobs but a greater need for creative and innovative problem solvers which engineering will provide.

You’ve been given this Friday off work, what are you doing to make the most of the day off/long weekend?
I have recently become a dad. I will be using the long weekend to catch up on sleep and be at home with my family.

John is a Project Managing Consultant at Synergine

What or who is your biggest source of inspiration in your career so far?
I am inspired by the ability that engineers have to deliver tangible benefits to communities on a daily basis. It is motivating to come to work everyday and know that I am doing something that is contributing towards the betterment of our society.

If you could go back in time and work on any engineering feat what would it be? Why?
I would love to have worked on an ancient Roman project such as the Colosseum or the Pont du Gard. I love classics and ancient history and as a Project Manager, I would be fascinated to see how those amazing ancient projects were managed and executed with only basic technology.

How has your perception of engineering changed since you started working?
The importance of good communication skills became apparent once I started working. Engineering is a highly technical profession but it is important to realise that everything we do is centred on people. Engineering is a team-based discipline and projects typically involve working with people from many different specialisations and organisations.

What role does engineering have in shaping the future of work?
The technology that we use for work will continue to evolve and adapt to suit new patterns of working. I think advancing technology will allow people to work more flexibly, maximise productivity and remove barriers to allow people to connect and collaborate more easily.

You’ve been given this Friday off work, what are you doing to make the most of the day off/long weekend?
I would like to play netball, catch up with my friends and try a new café in the city and if the weather’s good, I would definitely get outside and enjoy spending time at a beautiful Auckland beach or park.

Emily is a Project Manager at RCP NZ