Three distinguished speakers shared their personal stories in this dynamic event that celebrated the journeys and experiences of senior professionals within the tunnelling industry.

On 6 March in Melbourne, the ATS Diversity in Tunnelling (DiT) group hosted a fantastic International Women’s Day (IWD) event, which celebrated the journeys and experiences of senior professional women working in tunnelling.

DiT committee member Nadine Makin – Principal, Ground & Underground Engineering, Aurecon, says the atmosphere in the room was very positive and provided a great opportunity for networking both before and after the event, with high quality food and drinks thanks to the event sponsors Arup and Delve Underground.

“The quality of the speakers was exceptional,” Nadine says. “I went to a few International Women’s Day events this year, and these were by far the most thought-provoking speakers.”

Elena Gavazzi, the first speaker, is a Chartered Civil Engineer with 15 years’ experience in both the Australian and UK engineering and construction industries. She is also Chair of the ATS Victoria Committee.

“My key takeaway from Elena is the vital importance of building a strong, diverse network and investing in your community because it often leads to opportunities you wouldn’t expect,” says Nadine. “This is fantastic advice.”

Isolde Shepherd-Piet, the second speaker, is a seasoned Civil Project Manager with 21 years’ diverse experience in the civil engineering industry across Australia, The Netherlands and Turkey.

“Izzy emphasised the skill of adaptability and that you don’t need a mapped-out pathway for your career,” continues Nadine. “She said that sometimes it is just about getting your foot in the door then making your own opportunities once you’re there.”

The third speaker, Kate Wingad, is a strategic leader in civil engineering with an impressive track record of designing and delivering some of Australia’s most significant infrastructure projects.

“Kate’s advice was quite simple,” continues Nadine. “She spoke about the importance of saying ‘Yes’ even if it’s scary or you feel unsure. Fear can be an excellent career indicator in that it often means there is an opportunity for growth hiding just behind it.”

Fellow DiT committee member Agnes Varo – Lead Engineer, Tunnelling, Aurecon, added that what really stood out to her about the event was that it was clear that real, relatable human beings were behind the presentations, which she found refreshing.

“I attended another IWD event last week, and the presentations felt almost too corporate, which took away any meaning for me,” she says.

“At the ATS, however, you could tell the presenters were coming from an authentic place, they were very relatable. Instead of reciting statistics or policies, they shared something personal, something an average engineer like me can learn from and feel inspired by. We need more of these!”

The presentations were followed by a panel discussion and Q&A on industry trends, diversity and resilience. The event also provided a great opportunity for the DiT team to launch their latest initiative – the ATS Mentor Alliance.

Agnes has been instrumental in setting up the new program which she says marks Phase 2 of the ATS Mentor and Buddy Program which launched for the first time in 2023.

“We’ve taken all our learnings from the first iteration of the initiative to make the Mentor Alliance what we hope will become an industry leading offering,” says Agnes.

“The vision of the program, which has been endorsed by the ATS Young Members group, is to inspire and empower our members with the opportunity to learn new skills and grow their careers with increased confidence and knowledge gained through the mentorship. The EOI is currently open and is fully inclusive, which means we welcome both mentee and mentor applicants of any age, cultural background or gender.”

The ATS would like to extend our sincere thanks once again to all our speakers and sponsors and if you’d like more information about the Mentor Alliance or to register your EOI, visit: Mentor Alliance – Australian Tunnelling Society (ats.org.au)