Happy new year to you all and I hope that you have had a good start to 2017! 2016 was an exciting year that brought some significant achievements for Engineers Australia in the international space:
- Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality and Environment has officially recognised the status of Engineers Australia’s Chartered members, exempting them from assessment requirements to become registered as a professional engineer locally.
- A successful Australian Engineering Conference was held in Brisbane last November, with 1,200 delegates in attendance and a program featuring 70 industry leaders who spoke about leadership, energy, defence and infrastructure. We hope to bring some of the recorded sessions to our international members later this year.
- Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) were renewed with the Institution of Structural Engineers (UK) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (UK).
- In May, Engineers Australia welcomed an announcement by the Australian and Singaporean Governments on a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between the two countries, which will greatly enhance mobility and recognition for Australian and Singaporean engineers.
2017 is already shaping up to be a stellar year. I am pleased to announce that we recently appointed Astley Pung to the newly-created role of Regional Business Development Manager (Asia), based in Kuala Lumpur. Astley will be a great support to our members in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, and will work closely with industry, academia and government to strengthen EA’s member offering in the Asian region.
I am also excited to announce that our brand new website will officially go live very soon. The fresh, clean design will encompass our dedication to our members to be innovative and will provide easier access to the information you require.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Stephen Durkin, former Chief Executive Officer of Engineers Australia, who stepped down from his role earlier this month after five successful years leading our organisation’s reforms. I know you will join me in wishing Stephen all the best in his future endeavours. Pending the recruitment of a new CEO, the Board has appointed John McIntosh to be Executive Chairman and Ron Watts will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer to oversight the operations of the business.
On behalf of the International Team at Engineers Australia, have a fruitful and successful 2017 and we look forward to working with you this year as we advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of our international community.
Kind regards,
Phoebe Tan
International Manager