Global engineering leadership in the spotlight this week

With the CAETS 2025: Generations Symposium kicking off this week in Brisbane, there’s no better time to highlight four prominent Australians who are all currently serving in global engineering leadership roles.

In collaboration with our colleagues at Engineers Australia and Consult Australia, this week we’re proud to highlight how Australia is currently playing a significant role in global engineering leadership.

In particular, we’re shining a spotlight on the contributions of four prominent Australians:

• Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Taylor AO HonFIEAust FTSE — Chair of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA)
• ATSE President Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE — President of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS), which is holding its annual symposium in Brisbane this week
• Mr William (Bill) Cox FIEAust FTSE — Chair of the Global Leadership Forum Advisory Board, International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC)
• And joining a number of Australian engineers shaping best practice in their respective disciplines, Professor Saeid Nahavandi FIET FIEEE FTSE FIEAust is incoming President of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - SMC Society.

Along with our colleagues, we’re pleased to launch the Australian Engineering: Global Leadership and National Opportunity statement, highlighting how this leadership positions Australia to influence the global engineering agenda like never before.

This includes prioritising work across four key focus areas:

• Engineering mobility and global competence, shaping mutual recognition of engineering qualifications and practices, including across the Indo-Pacific
• AI and the future of the profession, with Australia leading in setting standards, ensuring ethical implementation, and preparing engineers for AI-augmented practice
• Workforce development in the Indo-Pacific and APAC Region, with Australia playing a convening and capacity-building in the role in the region
• Strategic national workforce planning, building a future-ready engineering workforce.

Australia’s global engineering leadership presents an opportunity to lift our national ambition. The challenges we face — climate change, economic transformation, technological disruption, regional uncertainty — require world-class engineering solutions.

We’re pleased to partner with Engineers Australia and Consult Australia to deliver this joint statement, and work towards a resilient, skilled and future-ready engineering workforce.