Civil Engineering January-February 2022 | Vol 30 No 1

44 January/February 2022 Civil Engineering PRESIDENT’S AWARD T he President’s Award honours an individual who has rendered excellent service to the Institution and the profession. 2021 recipient Innocentia Mahlangu (Pr Eng, MSc, PMP) has been a stellar achiever both within SAICE and the industry as large. Innocentia, who holds a BSc and MSc in civil engineering from the University of Witwatersrand, is currently a Project Manager and Senior Civil Engineer at Hatch. She is a registered professional engineer with ECSA and has attained accreditation with PMI as a project management professional. Innocentia’s technical background is in design and execution of railway infrastructure projects, where she has fulfilled various roles including design engineer, resident engineer as well as roles in project and construction management. In her current role she is a specialist project manager, overseeing projects in the mining, metals and infrastructure sectors as part of Hatch’s project delivery group. She also serves as a project delivery sponsor, providing governance oversight on several projects. Innocentia is heavily involved at SAICE where she serves as Diversity and Inclusivity Champion, advising on diversity and inclusion issues as they pertain to civil engineering. She is also the chair of SAICE’s Education and Training Committee, a member of the Project Management and Construction Division and serves on SAICE’s Executive Board and Council. Innocentia considers herself a champion for gender diversity and inclusion in STEM careers. “I believe one of the ways to improve the representation of women in STEM is by intentionally introducing diverse role models and mentors, particularly those with whom young women and girls can relate, to challenge the stereotypes around a career in STEM,” she says. Her passion for mentoring women led to her founding a non- profit organisation called SHEngineers. The virtual mentorship network for women in engineering connects experienced female engineers with young female engineering professionals and stu- dents. Through SHEngineers, Innocentia participates in the men- torship of young women, in addition to publishing career-related articles on LinkedIn and engaging in public speaking targeted at young professionals. “I believe that these small acts will contribute positively towards shifting the needle to improve the attraction to and retention of women in STEM careers,” she says. “As women in engineering we need to actively engage in dialogue about the industry and share some of the lessons we are learning as professionals, with the intent that it may help a young female engineer who may feel lost. But most importantly, we need to do this to be seen, because by being seen we are indirectly encouraging someone to come out of the shadows and step into the light.” Through her work, Innocentia has become a thought leader in project management, diversity, equity, inclusion, and advancement of women. She was recently featured on the Project Management Institutes’ Projectified Podcast, where she shared emerging trends on infrastructure delivery, and the PMI’s Megatrends of 2022, providing commentary on diversity, equity and inclusion. SA I CE and profess i onal news Recognising distinction SAICE President’s Award andHonorary Fellowship At the 2022 presidential inauguration, outgoing 2021 SAICE President Vishal Krishandutt recognised the contributions of two deserving SAICE members with the presentation of the President’s Award and an Honorary Fellowship. Innocentia Mahlangu, recipient of the 2021 President’s Award