Civil Engineering March 2022 | Vol 30 No 2

56 March 2022 Civil Engineering the CRUX Insight Report which looks at the cost of disputes and claims across the global built environment. “About USD$50 billion is wasted globally each year through unnecessary human error. We want to stimulate conversations and collective thinking around the common problems that cause this USD$50 billion wastage and develop solutions to reduce the cost of wastage. This will give women a powerful voice at the table and provide new ideas to the industry. It is all about better communication and collaboration,” says Philip. “Over the course of the year we may be able to generate several hundred conversations aimed at fixing expensive pain points that all companies have. And the solutions will come from women all around the world.” Philip and Shelley have enlisted sub- ject matter experts and discipline cham- pions from around the globe – which include Innocentia and Tom – to provide mentorship and guidance to the women who join the WITBE programme. WITBE is also collaborating with SHEngineers, a virtual mentorship network for women in engineering, established by Innocentia to connect experienced female engineers with young female engineering professionals and engineering students. The programme pairs mentors with mentees ranging from third year students to women with up to six years of experience. In addition, the approximately 150 women currently registered have access to webinars and information and knowledge sharing relating to both soft and hard skills. “There are many initiatives out there doing great work, but this means that we are spending a lot of energy in a lot of different places. I believe that if we bring together our various efforts and initia- tives, we will begin to shift the needle and see meaningful change,” says Innocentia. “We need to encourage more women to share their success stories, encourage engagement and do as much as possible to improve the chances of success for females in the profession. However, it also takes committed individuals at the top, like Tom, SAICE CEO Vishaal Lutchman and immediate SAICE past president Vishal Krishandutt, who have influence and can work to make a difference by pulling others up. We need more men to champion women,” she stresses. DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVITY AT SAICE “We need to drive awareness of the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusivity. We’ve only started really engaging on these topics in recent years in South Africa and you’ll now see many companies articulating their commitment to EDI, but we need broad awareness of what these concepts really mean. I see us driving that conversation as SAICE and educating our members so that we can guide organisations to start driving this internally as well,” says Innocentia. SAICE will be introducing a new ini- tiative this year, providing a platform for successful female professionals to share their stories. “This is how we not only make it more encouraging for women in the profession, but also provide men with a better understanding of what it is like to be a woman working in the built environ- ment,” says Tom. “As SAICE we are committed to having a diverse and inclusive civil engi- neering industry that provides everyone an equal opportunity to succeed. We have articulated this in our diversity and inclu- sivity statement which was adopted and shared with our members. We recognise the urgency of this and have established a panel for diversity and inclusivity to make inroads towards the transformation of the industry,” adds Innocentia. “We believe in advocating for the in- clusion of women and increasing visibility of women as role models and celebration of women’s achievements because, as Marian Wright Edelman said, ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’. It is important that diversity and inclusivity be woven into the organisation,” she continues. The SAICE Diversity & Inclusivity Panel continues to contribute to the nar- rative and conversation through thought pieces in the SAICE newsletter and maga- zine, by supporting academic research on gender diversity and inclusion topics, and by identifying relevant training courses and partnerships. SAICE Connect also offers a platform where professionals can register to either become mentors or seek mentorship from highly experienced members, providing an opportunity to empower female members. In addition, the SAICE Academy aims to launch online diversity and inclusivity courses in 2022 to better equip members and companies in their EDI initiatives. There is an encouraging trend in the number of women joining the various SAICE panels and committees as well as SAICE Council and Executive Board. “We can’t just talk the talk; we have to walk the walk. Now it becomes about retaining those women in those positions,” says Tom. “We need to change the leaky pipeline by finding the leaks and plugging them, quickly. Because as a nation we cannot afford to lose women from the profession.” For more information Q Q www.mentoring4success.co.uk/wins- be Q Q www.knowledgementoring.com/ wins-be Q Q www.shengineers.org Q Q 30percentclub.org/chapters/southern- africa/ “We need to change the leaky pipeline by finding the leaks and plugging them, quickly. Because as a nation we cannot afford to lose women from the profession.” – TomMcKune The SAICE Diversity & Inclusivity Panel continues to contribute to the narrative and conversation through thought pieces in the SAICE newsletter and magazine, by supporting academic research on gender diversity and inclusion topics, and by identifying relevant training courses and partnerships.