2026 was our biggest year yet for AusIMM International Women’s Day attendance, with 32 staff enjoying events in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.
We enjoy attending the AusIMM IWD events each year as a team to elevate the conversation of women in engineering. The calibre of guest speakers is always extremely high and inspirational.
We’ve been attending these for several years and have watched the events grow each year with more attendees, larger venues, and more locations. This year, the series expanded to seven lunches across seven locations with the theme of Driving Positive Change Together.
Brisbane Team
Ten staff from our Brisbane office attended the first lunch in the series held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Anna Meares, one of Australia’s most accomplished track cyclists, delivered the keynote speech sharing insights from her 15-year career as an elite athlete, during which she won an incredible 18 gold medals, 13 silver medals, and 16 bronze medals at Olympic, World, and Commonwealth Games.
“The AusIMM IWD events are a great way to build camaraderie, especially with our newer recruits. While the external networking is valuable, I found the internal discussions and connections within our own team just as worthwhile. I’d highly encourage all our engineers and recent recruits to get involved in these events.”
Lucie Porentru, Associate Engineer
“For me, it is a great opportunity to celebrate the contribution of women to our industry. While I’m proud to work for an organisation that, in my view, treats and respects all individuals equally, there were some sobering industry statistics shared that made me pause and reflect that this may not be everyone’s experience. There is clearly more work to be done, and we must all play a part.”
Lee Rigley, Principal Engineer
Brisbane event & keynote speaker Anna Mears
L-R: Kayleigh Chiswell (Senior People & Culture Business Partner), Lee Rigley (Principal Engineer), Harmony-Tree Hansen (Undergraduate Engineer), Morteza Ghamgosar (Senior Associate Engineer)
Perth Team
Three of our WA team attended lunch at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, which featured a presentation by Jelena Dokic, author and former world number four tennis champion, on the power of finding one’s voice, transcending the past, and thriving against all odds.
L-R Alex Houston (Associate Environmental Scientist), Joan Deng (Associate Engineer)
L-R Joan Deng (Associate Engineer), Alex Houston (Associate Environmental Scientist), Jo Barron-Perry (AusIMM), Adaora Mmojekwu (Senior Office Administrator)
Melbourne Team
In Melbourne, nine staff gathered for lunch at Zinc at Federation Square, where Bec Daniher, MND spokesperson, delivered a moving keynote about turning adversity into action, and how the power of community can drive meaningful change. Bec, a former elite athlete, is the Executive Director of Fight MND and has led iconic events such as The Big Freeze and Daniher’s Drive since her father, Neil Daniher, received a terminal diagnosis due to MND.
“I found this event to be insightful and inspirational, a reminder of the importance of our values and beliefs and a great opportunity to connect with industry. Most importantly, is the understanding that to drive positive change for women in mining, you first need to understand their perspective, value the importance of change, and then participate in the change.”
Genevieve New, Principal Engineer
Bec Daniher Keynote reflections: Three simple ideas that hit home
Thank you to Genevieve New for capturing these notes from Bec Daniher’s keynote.
“Bec’s message was powerful, practical, and very ‘do the work’, especially for anyone leading through ambiguity or change.”
1) Control the controllable
- You can’t always control the outcome, but you can control showing up, doing the work, and how you respond.
- Ownership matters: give people real responsibility and space to build their identity and passion.
- In the face of fear or uncertainty, attitude is a choice, and one of the few things fully within our control.
2) Find opportunity in adversity
- Even in the hardest times, we still have agency in how we respond.
- The reminder (via Viktor Frankl) that really landed: we can choose our attitude in any set of circumstances.
- If you believe opportunity exists — or believe it doesn’t — you’ll be right. Opportunity isn’t a given, but something we choose to create through courage, conviction, and small steps each day.
3) Plant trees – invest in futures you may never experience
- “Society grows great when we plant trees in whose shade we know we will never sit.” – Greek proverb.
- Hope is contagious and progress comes from action, not intention.
- Small actions can generate an oversized impact when they’re grounded in a purpose bigger than ourselves.
Questions to sit with this week: What’s one thing you can control today — and one “tree” you can plant for someone else’s future?”
L-R Darren Watt (CEO), Claire Weaver (Contracts Manager), Ruchi Jhowry (Engineer), Kim Morrison (CTO), Malena Olguin (Office Assistant), Malith Madola (Experienced Engineer), Mey-Fuon Lu (Senior CADD Technician), Genevieve New (Principal Engineer).