Rachel Fowler is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia and the Institution of Civil Engineers, with a 33-year career in infrastructure. In 2017 Rachel joined Beca’s Transport & Infrastructure business in Australia. Under her leadership the company has grown its market share across the eastern Australian states and has become known for its services across all modes of transport: active, road, rail, air and maritime.  Rachel combines approachable leadership with enthusiasm for developing people’s careers. She is passionate about collaborative behaviours, client service excellence and professionalism in the delivery of consultancy services. She will contribute to the discussion around “balancing life demands with gaining the right experience to grow your career”.

Helen Baxter-Crawford has nearly 25 years of experience in structural geology.  Helen is a Chartered Professional MAusIMM CP (Geo) and was awarded the Australian Tunnelling Society Women in Tunnelling Achievement Award in 2023 and received the Australian Geomechanics Award for 2022 for her paper titled “Lithological character and Structural Geology of the Cooks River area with focus on the M8 Tunnels”.  Helen has been involved in some of Australia’s largest construction, tunnelling and mining projects with further international experience in Indonesia, Pakistan and Tibet. Since joining SMEC she has expanded her project scope to detailed dam foundation models and site investigation, as is currently the site investigation and owners engineer tunnels lead for Borumba Pumped Hydro.

Caroline Snelling is the strategy lead for John Holland’s Energy Business. Caroline holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics (Hons) and a Graduate Diploma in Psychological Science. Before joining John Holland, Caroline led the start-up activities of an internal engineering company (EIC), established the first knowledge-sharing and innovation function for the CIMIC Group, and implemented CPB’s carbon accounting system. Caroline has experience in integrated resource planning, including research and analysis to inform sustainable energy and water policies. Outside of work, Caroline is an enthusiastic netballer and a strong supporter of women’s participation in grassroots sports.