Australia’s economy runs on engineering, yet engineers are too often missing from the rooms where the biggest decisions are made.
At a recent roundtable event in Sydney co-hosted with Consult Australia, engineering leaders argued that Australia’s future depends on bringing the engineering mindset – systems thinking, evidence and long-term value – to the centre of national decision-making.
“Every day we rely on the work of engineers who keep our communities functioning safely, sustainably and efficiently,” said Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew AO FTSE HonFIEAust EngExec. “Yet when we investigate our nation’s leaders, our boardrooms and often the conversations that matter, the picture is very different.”
Madew pointed to data showing that of 749 ASX100 board seats, just 32 per cent are held by people with STEMM qualifications – only 117 by engineers. Among managing directors and CEOs, just three per cent of women have a STEMM background.
“There’s a clear disconnect between where engineers contribute to the economy and where they’re represented in decision-making,” Madew said. “Engineering-heavy sectors generate almost half of Australia’s industry value added, but engineers are too often absent where the real strategy is set.”
Her message framed the discussion: Australia’s policy and business challenges – from productivity and climate transition to industrial capability – demand the kind of thinking engineers are trained for.
Mindsets not just skillsets
Participants at the roundtable argued that the value of engineers in leadership lies less in their technical expertise and more in their mindset: systems-oriented, data-driven and outcome-focused.
For instance, one industry leader likened engineering leadership to “solving systemic problems”, arguing that an organisation is much like a complex system where a change in one part affects many others. Engineers, by training, are comfortable working across interdependencies and trade-offs.
Because they navigate risk, complexity and long-term delivery, they build credibility. “Engineers carry a trust surplus,” said one CEO. “We’re not rent-seekers. We’re asking for better outcomes. That trust should be used more deliberately in public policy.”
From detail-oriented doing to strategic directing
A recurring theme was how engineers typically excel at execution – the “doing” phase – but often don’t transition into roles of strategic influence or governance. Engineering talent can deliver complex projects, yet the move into boardrooms and cabinets is less common.
One participant noted that many engineers “prefer doing to governing” – they focus on solutions rather than strategy, on immediate delivery rather than long-term policy. The roundtable identified the need to build structured pathways for engineers into leadership: mentorship, formal board readiness, and roles such as chief engineer in government and large organisations were flagged.
READ: Engineers with influence – broad thinkers for better boards
Engineering thinking in national challenges
The group stressed that the engineering mindset is highly relevant to national policy challenges – not just infrastructure.
Jonathan Cartledge, CEO of Consult Australia observed: “Whether the challenge is climate adaptation, national and energy security or industrial capability, engineers are leading so many of the businesses that keep the economy moving. It is time their voices were at the centre of the policies that shape it.”
Engineers’ habit of thinking in terms of risk, trade-offs, timelines and systems gives them an advantage when governments and business need to tackle complex, interlinked problems. Participants argued that Australia needs to move from fragmented, project-by-project thinking to strategic, system-wide frameworks – and that engineers should be at the table.
READ: Engineers with influence – from drawing boards to boardroom decisions
A broader forum for engineering leadership
Rather than seeing this roundtable as the end point, participants agreed it should mark the beginning of broader conversations with engineering business leaders who span sectors and organisations, and who bring their mindset to bear on policy, productivity and innovation.
Rounding up the discussion, Madew said: “Engineers aren’t asking for favours. We’re asking to be heard because we know how to fix the problems everyone’s talking about.”
Cartledge wrapped it up: “Engineers are already leading many of Australia’s most important businesses with exactly the kind of thinking that is needed now in national decision-making. If we want lasting solutions to our most complex challenges our engineering leaders must be in the room where those decisions are made.”
The Engineers with Influence series, a joint initiative of Engineers Australia and Consult Australia, continues in November. Be sure to connect to follow this series as it continues to translate these conversations to action.
Very true and inspiring.
Highlighting the need for Engineering Mindset in national growth.
Thank you, Engineers Australia, for sharing such valuable insights that are helping me grow personally, professionally, and align my thinking with true innovators.
Its informative and deeply appreciated.
Kind Regards.
Mr. Shamal Narayan
Assistant Instructor-School of Transport
Fiji National University
Fiji Islands