IPWEA is committed to developing and maintaining a high level of competency and the capacity and capability to meet community demands within the sector through our scholarships.
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With a background in Civil Engineering, and in my current role as an Asset Engineer at Wollondilly Shire Council, I am passionate about driving the long-term sustainability and efficiency of critical infrastructure through asset management. I am thrilled to have been awarded the 2025 IPWEA Women in Asset Management Scholarship. This opportunity will provide me with invaluable professional development opportunities and networks to further my career while also empowering me to advocate for and inspire more women to pursue careers in this field. I look forward to using this scholarship to enhance my impact on both my organisation and the wider asset management community.
As a civil engineer, I am passionate about creating real, lasting value for my community through asset management. Ensuring public infrastructure is maintained, sustainable and future-proof allows me to make meaningful, long-term impacts. While transitioning into this field, my knowledge of asset management was limited. The IPWEA courses will accelerate my learning and equip me with tools to make smarter, more effective decisions that benefit the community now and into the future. Receiving the 2025 IPWEA Rita Excell Women in Asset Management Scholarship is an incredible honour. This scholarship helps remove financial barriers and highlights how organisations like IPWEA are supporting and championing women in engineering and public infrastructure. I’m excited to continue advocating for greater opportunities and representation for women in this field.
I intend to benefit from the scholarship by bringing together the learnings of the course and years of field based Operations and Maintenance experience which will allow me to have a full understanding of the Asset Management cycle, a great combination to progress my career and become a better Asset Manager
I was fortunate enough to make the shift into asset management a little over 12 months ago and have spent the time since then learning and developing my skills in the day-to-day management of local government assets. The opportunity provided to me with the IPWEA Future of Asset Management Scholarship will mean I am able to greatly build upon these skills and set long-term council asset management plans, the flow on effect of which will be a greater return to the members of our community. I also look forward to the opportunity to network with fellow asset management professionals across a broad range of areas and hear the unique insights they can offer. Being able to take this knowledge and experience and share it with my colleagues will assist us tremendously as we continue to improve our asset management practice.
As an engineer working on key strategic plans for Mildura Rural City Council’s vast array of infrastructure, I have gained an insight into the challenges faced by our public sector within the field of asset management, particularly in a regional setting. Since commencing with local government, I have gained a passion for good asset management practices after being exposed to what the full lifetime cost of an asset is and what this means when bringing on a new asset. The professional development opportunities presented by the IPWEA Future of Asset Management Scholarship will enable me continue to follow this passion as I grow within my organisation and allow me to benchmark our current practices with other public sector colleagues as well as share some of the unique experiences and challenges faced by Mildura Rural City Council having a larger infrastructure portfolio spread over a large land area with fewer rate payers.
I am very excited about being awarded the IPWEA Future of Asset Management Scholarship. I feel this will help me on my Asset Management journey which I guess started several years ago as I have been involved in the asset lifecycle at all stages through my working life. I joined Gladstone Regional Council 11 years ago and moved from maintaining assets to managing assets. My current role is the Manager of Asset Governance, my team are responsible for the managing and maintaining the asset register and GIS. My role also includes educating the wider business on asset management and I am part of the Capital Portfolio Working Group and the Asset and Services Steering Group. The opportunity to complete the Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning will reinforce the knowledge already gained from completing other IPWEA courses. I have attended one IPWEA conference which allowed me to connect and learn more from other councils and businesses. I look forward to increasing my network of asset management professionals
I believe it will fill in a large knowledge gap regarding my current career path. Developing my knowledge of areas such as regulatory requirements, asset procurement, understanding contracts and maximising utilisation data will allow me to be more effective in my current role, as well as set up for growth into new positions in the future. Being in one of the largest government fleets in Tasmania, there is a lot of scope for impact by having just a small number of qualified and competent people. I am currently in a small team developing an EV pilot program to help us reach the goal of a 100% EV fleet by 2030. Using the knowledge gained in this course, I will be able to push for better outcomes to reach that goal and keep our drivers happy.