UQ alumni, industry partners and friends are invited to an inspiring morning at the iconic Brisbane City Hall on Thursday, 14 March 2024 for the UQ Women in Engineering Breakfast.
This year's event, hosted by the Women in Engineering Alumni Council and The University if Queensland, is centred around the powerful UN Women Australia's International Women’s Day theme Count Her In: Accelerating gender equality through economic empowerment, highlighting the importance of equal access to education, employment pathways, financial services and literacy for women and girls.
Join over 300 UQ alumni and engineering industry professionals for an engaging conversation on pathways to greater economic inclusion for women and its impact on gender diversity in the engineering sector.
Keynote speaker
Melanie Gordon
General Manager Operations, Transurban
Mel commenced as the General Manager of Queensland Operations at Transurban in January 2023. Tasked with leading the Operations team, she oversees ongoing management of traffic and incidents on 81km of Brisbane's tolled and non-tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels, including the Gateway and Logan motorways, Go Between Bridge, Inner City Bypass, Clem7, Legacy Way and AirportlinkM7. Previously, as General Manager Projects at Transurban, Mel spearheaded Project Clarence, transforming Transurban’s Traffic Control Room physical and technological capabilities from four separate control room centres and systems to one state of the art, best practice control centre and system, providing benefits for Queenslanders for the next decade and gearing up for the 2032 Olympics. Prior to joining Transurban, Mel had over 20 years in global mining organisations, with roles from Strategic Risk Head to Maintenance and Engineering Manager. Mel holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, an MBA, and Masters in Science and Technology, coupled with expertise in Risk Management and Company Directorships.
Panellists
Sarah Dixon
Executive General Manager SEQ Assets, Queensland Rail
Sarah is a value-based executive leader skilled at establishing and sharing strategic vision to deliver sustained operational and commercial performance.
Having worked across multiple industries, Sarah can adapt and apply her core skills in Operations Management, Leadership Development, Inbound and Outbound Supply Chains, and Transformational Change.
As EGM SEQ Assets, Sarah leads teams who manage and maintain the rail infrastructure, trains, stations, and depots in South East Queensland to ensure the safety and reliability of the network and deliver over 8000 services a week for Queensland Rail customers.
Alex Kennedy-Clark
General Manager Non-Operated and Exploration Assets, Origin Energy
Alex is General Manager for Non-Operated and Exploration assets at Origin Energy and has over 25 years of experience in the oil, gas, and engineering consulting sectors. Her role involves overseeing operated and non-operated joint ventures, strategic approvals, exploration, and business development. She joined Origin in 2018 as General Manager for Condabri, Talinga, and Orana Asset, accountable for safe and efficient natural gas production to supply domestic and export markets. Previously, Alex held leadership positions at AGL Energy and BOC, and started her career as an environmental engineer at URS (now AECOM). She holds a B.E. (Environmental)(Hons), a Master of Commerce from UNSW, an Advanced Diploma of Management, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, with a passion for leading diverse teams.
Mike Junger
SVP Advanced Technology, Vaxxas
Mike has 30 years of MedTech experience as a pharmaceutical machine designer, medical device engineer, process engineer and R&D manager. Previous to his role at Vaxxas he was R&D Manager at Cook Medical for the Women’s health team developing minimally invasive surgical tools and pushing the boundaries in IVF technology. He has developed several novel medical devices and introduced new manufacturing processes and has multiple patents in the medical device field. As SVP of Advanced Technology, he promotes Vaxxas’ and engages with politicians and leaders around policy and fund raising to realise the commercialisation of this novel technology in Australia.
Dr Alena Griffiths
Co-Founder and Director, RGB Assurance
Dr Alena Griffiths is a Chartered Engineer & Fellow of Engineers Australia. She practices in the area of Systems Engineering and Safety Assurance, predominantly in the rail industry, and has a special interest in safety-critical, software-based systems. In 2010, Alena co-founded RGB Assurance, a company specialising in the provision of engineering consulting, mostly to the rail industry. RGB Assurance has grown to employ approximately 35 people, with offices in Brisbane and Perth. Their biggest local job is that of Independent Safety Assessor for the Cross River Rail project, here in Brisbane. Outside of her working life, Alena is married and has two adult children (both studying engineering!!!). She enjoys reading good books, playing chess badly, and partaking of good food and wine.
Support Women in Engineering
Please consider a gift towards creating opportunities to drive change and promote greater diversity within the engineering industry.
Your generous support will enable us to continue to develop and enhance the future of women studying engineering at UQ and inspire women across Australia to consider pursuing a career in engineering.
Voluntary donations can be made to the Women in Engineering Fund when completing your ticket purchase.
About Alumni events
Alumni events are organised by the Women in Engineering Alumni Ambassadors Council (WEAAC), who works in partnership with UQ to create a sense of UQ community and support amongst engineering graduates. These events are a great opportunity to reconnect with friends and classmates, engage with future engineers, and meet engineering industry professionals.
Venue
64 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City