Celebrating women in engineering: diversity, determination, resilience and impact
Attendees at the International Women in Engineering event at FB IDEAs Hub, June 2026
To celebrate International Women in Engineering Day on Tuesday 23 June, FB IDEAs hosted a lively conversation and lunch event at the FB IDEAs Hub. The buzz in the room was a reflection of the energy and passion that female-identifying engineers bring to their work - underpinned by curiosity, determination to solve complex problems and the grit and resilience to forge a path forward in engineering despite the obstacles.
To kick things off, we were joined by an impressive panel of spotlight speakers who shared reflections about their childhood career dreams, where they are today and insights from their career journey.
Olive Jose shared that from wanting to be a fashion designer as a child, her engineering journey as an mechanical engineer has taken her across a range of fields, including defence, medical, and aerospace, from India to Australia. She now works at Andromeda Robotics, based in Fishermans Bend, where she brings robotics to life through innovative design and manufacturing, to contribute to Abi, the humanoid robot.
Shiva Quick always wanted to be an engineer. After studying her Bachelor of Chemical Engineering in Iran, and then completing her Master’s degree, she started working in the battery field and industry, where she developed her experience in battery technologies. She continues her work in the battery field with Voltavate, also based in Fishermans Bend at Area 53.
Régine Chantler grew up wanting to be a fighter pilot. She remembers being “really angry” when she was told she couldn’t attend a Boarding School that only took boys. She turned anger into power, starting her career as design engineer in microelectrics and semiconductors, then forging a career pathway that has taken her from her home country in the Caribbean, to Europe, Mexico, UK and now Australia where she is Team Leader for Automation & Sensing at CSIRO and champions engineering research.
Kristy Battista – wanted to be many things growing up, but settled on engineering as she loves solving problems. Her career started in biomedical electronics engineering where she worked in areas such as IVF, cancer detection and more. Then after moving into the startup world, she transitioned into leadership roles where she drives technology strategy and enabes teams of engineers to deliver impact. Today she is the CTO of Jupiter Ionics, an Australian startup developing breakthrough green ammonia technology to decarbonise fertiliser production and strengthen food supply chains.
Riley McAuliffe - had plans to be a “legally blonde inspired lawyer” or a zoologist growing up, but like Régine she was drawn to study environmental engineering as she saw opportunities to travel and see the world. After several years working in land contamination, noise, noise, modelling and air quality modelling, she then announced she was quitting engineering. But her engineering background has continued to underpin her career and her ways of working - moving into roles at the cleantech startup incubator Energy Labs, and today at JET Charge based in Fishermans Bend, where she is a “professional problem solver” supporting clients and strategic partnerships in the EV charging sector.
We then continued the discussions, inviting questions and comments from the audience. Some of the key takeaways and insights were:
Diversity of career pathways: Hearing the speakers talk about their journeys was a reminder that engineering studies are starting point, but not the end. It was amazing to see the incredible diversity of work opportunities and career pathways that are available in the world of engineering. We were also joined by guests whose engineering careers span aerospace, infrastructure, transport and more!
Barriers persist: While the representation of women in engineering is growing (although according to the June 2022 Engineers Australia’s Women in Engineering women still only represent 16% of engineering graduates, and just 13% of the engineering workforce in Australia), barriers and challenges still exist and it’s a . Speakers and guests spoke about the extra mental and emotional load of being “the minority in the room”, especially for women of colour and those representing other minority groups.
Networks of allies: we spoke about the importance of allies (women and men) who are key to supporting women in engineering - as champions, supporters and enablers for women to follow their passion in engineering. Sometimes it can be as simple as a manager/colleague stepping in to back you, or creating a genuine seat at the table for diverse voices to be heard.
Frustration » Grit & Determination: many reflected on the moments they were told no or faced obstacles, and the grit, determination and resilience to push through. As well as personal resilience and drive, it’s clear too that an engineers inherent drive (or some might say, stubbornness) to solve problems underpins their way forward.
Setting Boundaries: Speakers also spoke about feeling they needed to “go that extra mile to like prove oneself”, and as a result often taking on too much and not beingh able to set boundaries.
Engineer by mindset, not by job title: as mentioned by many, at it’s heart, engineering is about solving problems. Even those who are no longer “technically” working as an engineer, the foundational skills and engineering mindset they learnt has been essential to their careers. As Riley McAuliffe says, “you can never really give engineering up!“.
Opportunity to deliver impact: when asked what keeps women in engineering, it was clear there is a consistent ambition to solve problems and deliver meaningful impact.
Special thanks to our amazing spotlight speakers, and to everyone who attended and contributed to such a vibrant and grounded conversation. Despite the obstacles, it is clear there is a powerhouse of women doing incredible work in engineering (and all sectors).
Congratulations and Happy International Women in Engineering Day 2026!
