“Events like the Queen’s College Engineering Dinner provide a great opportunity for us to connect and share our knowledge and experience. It’s wonderful to be in a room with like-minded people who have a mutual passion for engineering and construction, especially when it’s the next generation,” said Nicole Stoddart, CEO of Rail Projects Victoria and inspiring guest speaker at the dinner on 29 August.

Nicole has extensive experience working in the government, consulting and contractor sectors, spanning across multiple tier one contractors and a number of years as Managing Director Construction Services, AECOM. She has worked on major projects in the Philippines, Thailand and United Kingdom, where she oversaw the redevelopment of London’s iconic St. Pancras Station. Over the last four years before joining Rail Projects Victoria, Nicole headed up the design and development of Suburban Rail Loop. 

She provided us with an exclusive update on the monumental Metro Tunnel project. The project includes a nine-kilometre underground railway connecting North Melbourne to South Yarra, complete with five underground stations, one right here at the University of Melbourne. It was particularly exciting to hear of the progress with the Parkville Station and integration with a revitalised Grattan Street, bus connections, bike lanes, pedestrian spaces and the main entrance to the uni.

The dinner was also a perfect opportunity for our students to chat with our Wyvern engineers and learn more about their industry and potential future career paths. 

Juliette Bosscher, 1^st year Science said, “Hearing from Nicole Stoddart was incredible. She talked about the importance of variety and using the fundamental skills of engineering to create successful projects. She has never worked on the same type of project twice, always adapting and learning. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to attend an industry dinner, meeting professionals working in a range of sectors from civil to aerospace to sustainability, to geomatics and so many more allowed me to gain some insight into my possible career paths. These industry dinners are a great opportunity to network, have a social dinner and learn something new.”

Nicole’s take-home message was clear.

“The opportunities are endless.”