Beca’s New Zealand Managing Director, Darryl-Lee Wendelborn was this year’s winner of the Engineering Leadership Award at the Engineering New Zealand ENVI awards on Thursday 7 November
The Engineering Leadership Award recognises “An engineer who gets things done, inspires others and takes people with them to make an outstanding contribution to engineering in New Zealand.” Engineering New Zealand judges described Darryl-Lee as an exceptional and influential leader.
“It’s an absolute honour to be recognised for this award,” said Darryl-Lee. “Leadership is however a team effort and I want to thank all of my inspiring colleagues at Beca who share our purpose to make everyday better for our communities.”
Alistair Collins, Associate – Building Services, was highly commended in the Young Engineer of the Year category, recognised for his ambitious, highly collaborative and people-based approach and commitment to the development of future engineers. Caroline Hope was a finalist in the Young Engineer of the Year category, and the SPIES (South Pacific Indigenous Engineering Students) network was a finalist in the Engineering Diversity category.
Darryl-Lee continued, “Engineers have a huge role to play in our future, and I’m excited when we see young professionals like Alistair and Caroline being recognised as future leaders and the exceptional commitment of the SPIES network to supporting and growing Maori and Pacifica talent in the industry – our future is in good hands.”
The ENVI Awards
Celebrating the best of New Zealand engineering talent, the awards recognise individuals, teams and organisations that have been involved in significant or outstanding projects that have encouraged innovation, creativity, diversity and overall excellence in ways that benefit society and the environment.
Darryl-Lee Wendelborn
Darryl-Lee is a vibrant and collaborative leader who embodies the changing face of the New Zealand engineering industry. She’s spoken on the representation of women in STEM at the United Nations in New York, established a programme to promote an increase in Māori and Pasifika representation in engineering, and is a board member of the Safe Roads Alliance dedicated to making 3,300 km of high-risk roads safer.
She’s engaged in many other initiatives advocating for the greater involvement of women in STEM and has actively championed Beca’s support of Engineers Without Borders NZ.
On top of that, Darryl-Lee is a highly credible technical leader who’s been involved in many of New Zealand’s most significant infrastructure projects, from the assessment of initial options for the Waterview Connection to the business case for the Waitematā Harbour Crossing.
Darryl-Lee is a values-driven leader whose collaborative approach has been critical to Beca’s successful transformation from a regionally-focused to global organisation.
“New Zealand is seeing significant and continuing growth, particularly in urban areas,” she says.
“Our cities are now firmly on the world stage, attracting investment, business and people – which presents lots of opportunities for thoughtful urban development.
“Engineers and other consultants are going to play a huge role in shaping the future of New Zealand and we need to work together to design cities that meet the needs and challenges of future generations – creating safe, resilient communities with people at their heart.
“To do this effectively, we need to reflect the people and the communities we’re designing for by creating teams that represent a mix of views and a diversity of backgrounds. The opportunity to make everyday genuinely better is massive, and I’m really excited to see what we can collectively achieve.”
