Living proof that STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) is not limited by gender, the team at GHD engineering, architecture and construction services in Canberra includes a strong cohort of women from diverse backgrounds, cultures and experiences.
Tell us about your journey in business.
Ashmita: I joined GHD Canberra as a graduate electrical engineer in 2021 after completing my Master’s degree from Melbourne. The journey so far has been an inspiring and pioneering adventure. Throughout these years, I have witnessed the power of diversity in driving innovation and success. As a woman, I wanted to be part of the change, proving that engineering is not limited by gender.
Dianne: My journey with GHD has been a great experience; there’s never a day you don’t learn something new or gain a new experience in a global consultancy. I really appreciate our work culture, the company standards, and the people I work with all from different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.
Christina: I always had an interest in environment and science. At school I thought I would pursue environmental science, but I then discovered engineering and loved the practical nature of the course – in the first two weeks of university studying chemical engineering we were pulling apart a heat exchanger and discovering how it worked. I’m in the water team and what I love about the water industry is that is important everywhere. Whether we’re in drought or flood, we need to manage our water resources carefully. GHD’s business model is to be in the local community wherever we are. We’re making changes and managing projects for the benefit of community – and that means OUR community too.
What tactics have you found most effective for networking?
Phoebe: Just be your incredible self and always be genuine in your efforts to get to know people and what they are passionate about. If you engage enthusiastically with someone and their interests, hopefully they’ll return the favour.
Lucy: I think professional relationships are really built on integrity and delivering well for our clients. This is done through being credible, reliable, being someone they can confide in, and putting self-interest aside – this builds trust, leading to having an advocate in your client, often for life.
What leadership influences have had a significant impact on your career?
Julie: Leadership that has influenced me over my career are those leaders who have had great vision and the ability to build a strong and cohesive team, fostering collaboration and creating an environment where every team member can grow to their full potential.
Lucy: A colleague/friend once took me through a process to unearth my individual purpose, values and vision. She then encouraged me to align these to the organisation where I work. It was a game changer. When I arrived at GHD, it felt like coming home. With our commitment to address the world’s biggest challenges in the areas of water, energy and communities, together with our clients, who would not want to be a part of it? It’s super exciting every day.
What challenges have you faced as a woman in your industry?
Lucy: GHD has a strong focus on Inclusion and Diversity and a fantastic culture, based on belonging and trust where all our people can thrive. I truly feel we can all bring our authentic selves to work, every day. This has not always been the case throughout my career, where I have faced blatant misogyny, unconscious bias, and judgement. I have approached these situations with deep breaths, calling out what I am seeing, voting with my feet and implementing the very simple but highly powerful words of the great Michelle Obama: “when they go low, we go high”.
What advice do you have for women looking to advance their careers in your industry?
Ebony: Put aside self-doubt and thoughts of imposter syndrome. If you are truly ready to take on a challenge, a larger project or leadership role, take stock of the skills you already have and the skills you need to develop, look for opportunities or pathways that will lead you to where you want to be and jump in with both feet and your eyes open.
How important is continuous learning is in your field?
Christina: I’ve always been actively involved in my industry associations including Engineers Australia and the Australian Water Association, having held committee roles within these organisations. By working within industry bodies, we can actively advocate for changes and improvement across the industry. Undertaking continuing professional development means I can learn and apply it to my work or share it with clients. Learning and sharing is critical to our work.
What are some important qualities women require to excel in their careers?
Sarah: I believe it is so important for women in the workforce to have a strong sense of self-awareness, know their value, and have unwavering confidence in their personal abilities. Strong communication skills, empathy, creativity, and optimism are all inspirational and highly regarded qualities in both the workplace and the wider professional industry.
How do you approach goal setting to achieve long-term success?
Greta: At GHD, we have an annual goal setting period where we formally set professional and development goals for the following year or also more long-term goals about what we want to achieve in a few years’ time. For longer term career planning, I find it helpful to have conversations with people in our business who I look up to or my mentors to gauge what their steps or goals early on in their career involved.
Steph: At GHD, we do quarterly check-ins with our managers to plan, review and assess our goals and career paths. This prompts us to think about where we want to go and implement a plan. This allows us to review our progress and to assess if the goals are still the direction we want to head or if we want to pivot and forge a new path.
What do you see as the most significant changes in your industry?
Alice: The most obvious changes I’ve seen are in the climate and sustainability spaces. With governments and industry increasingly pursuing environmental sustainability, the demand for skills in these areas is huge. It’s an incredibly exciting and dynamic field to be in and it’s obvious the industry can only grow.
Greta: Sustainability is undeniably a significant industry trend, and GHD has a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by the end of 2023, and Scope 2 by 2025. More specifically, I am part of the environment industry and some exciting trends I’ve observed in this space are an increase in Indigenous participation and engagement, renewable energy projects, and broader scale strategic environmental assessment and planning.
Julie: Digital transformation is a great opportunity for our industry as we work with clients to provide integrated and more efficient solutions.
Are there any issues you are addressing in your role?
Raquel: The waste problem is applicable across so many disciplines. I have so far supported the ACT Government with two waste management projects, the new recycling facility and potential food organics and garden organics facility, and the update of ACT Smart programs to support businesses in reducing their energy usage and encouraging better waste management. I love working on these projects and enjoy implementing them at home and work, particularly encouraging my colleagues to bring keep-cups to reduce waste from coffee cups. I hope to continue my work in this space so GHD can contribute to solving the waste problem!
How does your business contribute to the community?
Lucy: GHD is engaged in local projects that truly contribute to our local community – we work across a range of projects in the water, transport, energy, property and buildings and environment sectors. These projects have included design of landfill, Healthy Waterways, road design across the ACT and NSW, building design and fit-outs across most well-known buildings in Canberra and SNSW, Environmental Impact Assessments that support large infrastructure projects, transport projects in Papua New Guinea, and Water and Sanitation projects across APAC. The GHD Foundation learned that there are many groups desperately under-represented in STEAM disciplines because they face barriers to access, particularly women and girls, first peoples, regional and remote communities and those experiencing economic disadvantage, so we now channel our energies into providing STEAM support for disadvantaged schools across the ACT (and Australia).
Join our diverse team in Canberra and beyond; www.ghd.com/careers
