Different sides of engineering: Susan Pearce shares the rewards of volunteering with Engineers Australia

Susan Pearce is the Chief Operating Officer of Medical HQ. As a volunteer, she has used her wealth of experience to engage the engineering community and advance the profession.

“Volunteering has been such a positive for me. I have learned new things from all of the people I’ve met. I’ve seen different sides of engineering, particularly around leadership and management. In fact, without having met the people I have through volunteering, I wouldn’t have felt confident enough to take on my current role.

Right now, volunteering is more important to me than ever. I’m now in the medical field, but I value the thought processes of professional engineers. They have a different way of thinking and a different perspective. So I volunteer partly to ensure my diversity of experience.

It has also been a part of my upbringing. My grandfather had an Order of Australia because he was very involved in his country town community, where he played a driving role in creating and building a retirement village and a hospital. My father, who also has an Order of Australia, was chair of the AMA in South Australia and remained involved in driving improvements in community health at state and national level ever since. My mother has been involved in local and national volunteer work for my entire life.

So it’s a sort of a family thing. We always get involved.”

Read more about Engineers Australia’s volunteers here.