Hi there! I’m Eve Mejias and look after the Marcomms and Business Services functions for Waterline. Today is a significant day for engineering women across the globe, it’s International Women in Engineering Day!
International Women in Engineering Day is about celebrating the contribution women engineers make to the industries in which they work. There are also several women who work in the engineering field across various roles, such as project managers, coordinators, analysts, as well as other positions, who make a valuable contribution to their companies and industry.
At Waterline, we are celebrating all our women who support our business and industry and work hard for our clients to deliver the best possible outcomes. Here are some of our Engineering WOW (women of Waterline) stories…
Kylie Davey, Service Delivery Leader
“Engineering is everywhere and in almost every aspect of our lives. Working in the engineering industry has provided me with the ability to learn new things, to be part of some big, exciting and challenging projects.”
“I love to learn and work through the ups and downs with the team. I hope I continue to experience and be inspired by the engineers I get to work with every day.
Although I’m coming up to 5 months at Waterline, I’ve been in the industry for almost 25 years! So, since I was a baby really. I started my career in 1996, working for a small, privately owned Engineering and Manufacturing Company, then moved on to a large electrical engineering company before landing at Waterline. My career started in Admin before moving into Marketing & Sales and then Contracts & Projects where I’ve led large Engineering Teams to delivery some pretty big projects.
During my journey, I’ve been part of some memorable projects that have shaped me as a leader and how I interact with our engineers. There are so many that it’s hard to select only a few to talk about. Some standouts would have to be the Tahmoor Longwall Project I delivered while at Ampcontrol the Incitec Pivot Limited Portfolio of Projects I have been working on since day one at Waterline. Although this is still underway, it has been amazing to see what the engineers need to do to provide solutions to solving complex problems.
For me, the most significant change in our industry has been technology, as an enabler from a design and resources perspective. Look at the recent 3D printing job we did for BMA’s Hay Point Berth & Shiploader. There’s no way we would have seen anything like this 20 years ago.
The advice that I’d give to future women Engineers is to say yes to every opportunity you get. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and know that you will learn from your mistakes. Be confident in yourself—you have earnt your spot at the table!”
Britt Riley, Document Controller
“I have been lucky to work in environments that even where diversity was not representative of the population in terms of percentages, it has always been embraced.”
“I’ve been in the industry now for 11 years and fell into it. What keeps me coming back for more is the new challenges and systems to learn. This is what keeps it interesting, so you don’t realise how quickly time passes by. Actually, my three-year anniversary at Waterline is coming up.
It has been great to see some changes in our industry over the years. I have been lucky to work in environments that even where diversity was not representative of the population in terms of percentages, it has always been embraced. There is still a smaller pool of women in a lot of the roles in engineering, but the women that are in those roles are generally respected and listened to. And then some things have not changed at all…
I’ve delivered various projects over the years that I’m proud of. At Waterline, ones that come to mind include a Content Migration project for one of our clients that I’ve started but is now on hold. And setting up Crinum has been interesting, but I can’t say it is my most proud project as it is still in the early stages, and you shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch! So, I guess it would be more the general, ongoing support that we provide our clients, knowing that we have built trusting relationships with them, and they can rely on us. That’s pretty empowering to know that you’ve contributed to this.
If there’s any advice that I can give to future women engineers, is try not to change who you are as a person to become what you believe people want you to be. You got the job for being yourself, so make sure you back yourself.”
Simone Makin, Head of Culture
“As the better half of our Waterline CEO & Co-founder, Randall Makin, I sort of fell into the industry.”
“While I’ve been in the industry for 10 years (and 3 months), if you include the support side of things, it’s technically 19 years. And I keep coming back for more because I want to support our team and Randall, seeing their drive to deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients.
As the better half of our Waterline CEO & Co-founder, Randall Makin, I sort of fell into the industry. In the early days I provided bookkeeping support and over time that has evolved. As Head of Culture, I’m always looking for ways to keep our team engaged and managing key events. We work hard for our clients, so it’s important to celebrate our contribution and doing what I do is really rewarding.
You know, I look back over the years and the industry has evolved so much. From my perspective, I think the 3D printing is really helping to shape the industry. I love that you can see the model, touch it and talk about it. It is great that it helps bring safety to the forefront. Like the 3D-printed berth we did BMA. Everyone on the project could see it, touch it and improves communication.
Given that it is International Women in Engineering Day, I think it’s important to remind women out there who are engineers or work in the engineering field, that if you want to do something, just do it. Don’t hold back because you are a female, you can do anything you set your mind to, and as women, we need to support each other.”
Mel Mason, Project Coordinator
“I have always loved numbers and problem solving. I remember sitting in maths class at school and wondering, how can I turn this into a living?”
“So engineering just seemed like the right choice for me. Fast forward to today and I’ve been in the industry for about 25 years. Just like Kylie, I started as a baby really.
From a woman’s perspective, I have certainly seen an increase in women over the years who have joined the industry, which is positive to see. And over the years I’ve delivered various successful projects. But some of my favourite ones that always come to mind have been the projects that involved constructions. Watching the projects run from the ground up and running the warehouse. That was pretty cool.
The advice I have for up and coming women who want to pursue a career in engineering is to stick with it. Don’t be put off by the fact that you may be the only woman in your class or workforce, as I often encountered during my early career stages. See it as a character-building challenge. It helps build resilience, so follow your career aspirations and stick with it!”
#EngineeringHeroes this International Women in Engineering Day
In 2021, the theme is #EngineeringHeroes, so along with our Engineering WOW (women of Waterline), we thought we’d share with you a couple of female heroes of engineering throughout history.
