Americas launch Women in SMEC Program

SMEC in the Americas has launched an important program aimed at enhancing the skills of professional women who have recently graduated from university and started technical and engineering careers.

SMEC’s Macarena Rodriguez, People and Culture Business Partner, addressed delegates at the Women in SMEC launch event in December 2021, held in Santiago, Chile.

SMEC in the Americas has launched an important program aimed at enhancing the skills of professional women who have recently graduated from university and started technical and engineering careers.

Piloting the program in December 2021, SMEC’s team in Chile has now delivered a 2-month calendar of asset management and maintenance training with our first intake of university graduates. Focused on strengthening relationships, key to the program were a series of workshops to build the tools to tackle high-demand projects.

On 1 December 2021, the Women in SMEC Program opened with a special event hosted at the Australian Chilean Commerce Chamber (AUSCHAM) in Santiago. Our 11 participants joined the launch ceremony virtually, which was attended in person by the Australian Ambassador for Chile, delegates from the Ministry of Women and Gender of Chile, along with CEOs and senior representatives from our key clients.

“Aligned with SMEC’s values, delivering this program in the Americas is testament to our commitment to diversity across the industry, and to the inclusion of women in the region’s critical infrastructure projects,” says Miguel Severino, People & Culture Manager at SMEC, based in South America.

The Women in SMEC Program’s launch event keynote speech was given by Susana Riquelme, TecFem Founder and CEO.

Program participants Muryel Gajardo, Barbara Cáceres, Katherine Segovia, Jennifer Muñoz, Carmen Marquez, Javiera Villegas, Yeibi Cruz, Sebastián Madrid, Mónica Cuellar, Karina Silva and Constanza Márquez recently graduated from universities across the Americas.

The event was a hybrid format streamed live. William Lilis, SMEC’s Business Development Director in the Americas, addressed the attendees.

Featuring a panel including the Australian Ambassador for Chile, delegates from AUSCHAM, along with important clients, the launch event featured a lively discussion about the importance of building a network of connections.

On 1 December 2021, attendees gathered for the launch of our Women in SMEC Program delivered by our team in the Americas, at the Australian Chilean Commerce Chamber in Santiago.