WA Division President Lewis Macdonald FIEAust CPEng NER has resigned from his role leading the WA Division Committee ahead of a move to Melbourne for a new job opportunity. Current WA Division Deputy President Allison Selman FIEAust CPEng NER has been elected as the new WA President. 

Engineers Australia wishes to thank Lewis for his outstanding contribution, including aligning WA Division’s three focus areas of energy transition, climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion with our core activities and collaborations. We offer our congratulations to Allison, a past WA Professional Engineer of the Year and member of Division Committee since 2022. 

There will be a change in the Engineers Australia team as well with the General Manager for Western Australia, Susan Kreemer Pickford FIEAust CPEng EngExec NER, moving to a full-time national role as Principal Engineer, based in Perth. 

“I’m pleased to be staying on at Engineers Australia to continue to advocate for engineers and the engineering profession. Of particular interest, is how we can increase our collaboration with stakeholders as we seek to achieve positive societal outcomes," she says.  

"I’ll still be closely engaging with members to draw on their insights, expertise and guidance which have been instrumental to our success in WA over this last decade. Some highlights include the introduction of engineering registration in the building sector, moving from West Perth to our new premises in Allendale Square and the year-long celebrations to mark 100 years of Engineers Australia in 2019."

We’ll start recruiting for the new General Manager for Western Australia soon. 

Looking back on his time as WA President, Lewis steered committee initiatives focused on elevating the engineering profession and promoting member engagement. 

One highlight has been the high-performing WA Division Committee, he says collaborating with such a dedicated and talented group has been incredibly rewarding. 

“A significant outcome from working with the committee and the broader membership was creating our State election policy position. I have greatly valued the opportunity to work closely with Division Presidents through the Presidents Forum to share challenges, learnings and insights across Australia,” Lewis says. 

Lewis says Allison has been an invaluable member of the Division Committee, bringing a wealth of volunteering and industry experience that has seen her elected to Deputy and now President of the WA Division. 

Allison Selman is a materials engineer with experience working across Australia, Indonesia and Thailand. She is the Managing Director of an engineering consultancy specialised in offshore energy infrastructure, as well as offshore and onshore pipelines. 

In taking on the role of WA President through to end of 2026, Allison’s volunteer journey comes full circle from her time as a student member of the Young Engineers group in Western Australia, she’s also spent time as Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group. 

Allison is excited by the strategic direction of Engineers Australia to advance society through great engineering. 

“I look forward to the opportunity to contribute at a division level to the strategic direction. I am keen to collaborate across the divisions to collectively progress the standing of professional engineers, associates and technologists in Australia,” she says. 

“In the coming year, I will be working with the WA Division to influence the creation and appointment of a WA Chief Engineer, progress the Museums Operations Volunteer Engagement (MOVE) in WA and increase the level of engagement between Division Committee and other Engineers Australia groups and committees.” 

Allison and the committee will look to learn from the other Division Presidents, contribute to the national policy and advocacy agenda, the National Competency Standard for Engineering and roll-out initiatives as driven by the Inspiring Future Engineers program. 

Having experienced the benefits of volunteering, Allison encourages engineers to get involved – members can provide details regards their areas of interest through the EAXchange Office Bearer and Volunteer hub, scroll down to find the 'Volunteering' link. 

“Volunteering is a great way to keep learning, when you actively engage. You learn new skills, meet many interesting and passionate individuals, and be of service to others and the engineering profession,” Allison says.