International Women in Engineering Day

On Tuesday 25 June, a small crowd of supporters gathered at Ampcontrol’s Tomago Head Office to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day. Now in its 11th year, this day provides an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of female engineers in the community, as well as acknowledging the broad industry and community support for a more gender-diverse engineering workforce.

HunterWiSE marks this occasion with an event that platforms engineers from the community. This year, HunterWiSE and industry partner Ampcontrol joined forces for a panel discussion on the theme 'Enhanced by Engineering’.

Host Dr. Jessica Allen from the University of Newcastle led the discussion. Presenters Bahar Chaichi (Ampcontrol), Tiana Leck (Restech), and Magali Gendre (Tomago Aluminium) shared their career journeys and spoke on how engineering enhances lives and livelihoods. From creating cylindrical eggs (not a typo!) to being your authentic, lip-gloss-wearing self, these three engineers shared their diverse career stories and engaged the audience with their passion for engineering.

After migrating from Iran to Australia, first to Brisbane and then to Newcastle, Bahar Chaichi re-established herself in her career, taking nine years to find her way back to a leadership role in engineering. Bahar reflected on career paths as a series of waves:

Achievement doesn’t always look like big milestones. It’s important to reflect and recognise all progress – even small progress - as career achievements. Your progress will look different in the up and in the downs.

A recent graduate of the University of Newcastle, Tiana Leck (Restech) reflected on her learnings as a student and graduate engineer with Restech. On the topic of enhancing lives, Tiana discussed the life-saving ventilator systems requested by the Australian Government in 2020 in preparation for the anticipated wave of COVID-19 hospitalisations. Tiana identified the development of new technologies – such as the Driftex electric mining vehicle – as a way that engineering is minimising environmental impact.

Magali Gendre’s engaging presentation took guests on a journey from her early life in Vanuatu to her professional experiences around the world. She shared her enthusiasm for identifying and solving problems, optimizing processes, and implementing best practices—highlighting how these improvements drive positive change. Magali also spoke about the significant role others played in her leadership and career journey, pushing her toward new opportunities.

The event concluded with this reflection from Jessica Allen: engineering provides opportunities and technologies that make the world more efficient, equitable, and fair. This is achieved in part through the support of committed colleagues and industries. The sea of high-vis uniforms in the audience was evidence of the solidarity and support for engineers that exists in the community.