Designing her own road to success

Emma Fisk says she has worked hard to succeed. Photo / Ted Baghurst

The career pathway of Emma Fisk is an example of the opportunities available to female engineers.

Fisk is associate civil engineer at Beca. She graduated from Auckland Uni in 1998 and worked in NZ, Qatar and the UK, returning to Auckland to be the geometric design lead for the Waterview Connection project and is now the civil engineering lead for the Te Atatu Interchange upgrade project.

Fisk says her fascination with construction and how things fit together drew her to engineering.

"Civil engineering creates the infrastructure that our society relies on, and I love being part of that. At school I also considered studying architecture, but decided that civil engineering was a better match for my maths and science strengths.

"When I first started work there weren't many female civil engineers, but over the last 16 years our numbers have grown. I'm currently working in a three-woman management team on the Te Atatu project, which is great.

"I've worked very hard to succeed, and I've found this rewarding because I love what I do. I've chased exciting opportunities, like moving to Qatar and working on the Waterview Connection project. I'm working on my second post-graduate degree, which I fit in around work."

Fisk feels her pay is on a parity with males but believes pay parity is a complex issue, and can only partly be explained by different career choices men and women make.

The mother of two says, "As an industry I believe we should actively support flexible working arrangements for both men and women. This will help us to retain skilled people who want to balance work and family, as well as providing flexibility for others who may want to pursue a challenging sport, or step down gradually towards retirement.

"I think it's important that we provide strong female role models for young women entering the industry. I mentor three female engineers, and learn a lot from them. Beca has recently appointed two female independent board members, and this sends a great message to its female engineers and the wider industry."

Advice for other women? "Take the opportunities that come and be confident in your own abilities."