Structural engineer, business owner and lifelong problem-solver Elisha Harris has spent her career navigating everything from technical design to company leadership. She shares how she found her way into engineering, what she’s learnt from running a business and why human skills will remain critical in an AI-driven world.
Across engineering, academia, law and business, Dr Elisha Harris FIEAust CPEng EngExec has made a habit of stepping into unfamiliar territory.
A structural engineer with a law degree, and co-founder of Harris Kmon Solutions, she has consistently sought out new challenges – from growing a consultancy from a two-person startup into a thriving multidisciplinary business to helping the next generation of engineers develop their careers.
On top of her diverse credentials, Harris is also a recipient of the Attorney-General’s Medal and was named Engineers Australia’s 2025 Professional Engineer of the Year.
Harris spoke with create to reflect on the decision to start her own business, the lessons she’s learnt from leading a growing team, the challenges facing women in engineering and the skills engineers will need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Tell us about your background and what first attracted you to engineering.
“I’ve always been a bit of a maths nerd. I love numbers, and when I got into the later years of high school, physics clicked as the physical expression of maths.
“I didn’t really know what engineers actually did when I started university. I just knew I liked maths and physics, and engineering felt like the next logical step.
“I originally intended to go into electrical or computer systems engineering, but after my first year I found myself in the civil stream and then structural engineering. Again, it was the technical side of things and the connection to physics that really drew me in.”
You also hold law qualifications. What prompted you to add that to your engineering career?
“After finishing my undergraduate degree, I worked as a consultant for a little over a year before moving to Sydney to complete a PhD. Afterwards I returned to consulting and academia, and somewhere along the way the idea of studying law started to appeal to me.
“I’d worked with another engineer who had a law degree and I found it interesting to see how they applied that knowledge. I thought about it for a few years and eventually decided to just go and do it.
“Originally, I saw it as an additional skill set and a point of difference. I was working for a large multinational at the time and dealing with contracts and commercial matters, so it had practical value.
“Then, when I started my own business, it became even more relevant. It applies to everything from company structures to employment matters and commercial agreements.
“The biggest thing it’s taught me is to know when I don’t know something. I have enough knowledge to recognise when an issue needs specialist advice, but I’m not a lawyer. Knowing when to bring in the right expertise is incredibly valuable.”
What motivated you to start Harris Kmon Solutions?
“Bill Kmon and I had worked together for years, and like a lot of people we started by casually talking about the idea over lunch. Eventually we reached the point where we either needed to stop talking about it or actually do it.
“At the time I was living in Melbourne with three young children and a husband who worked in defence. There were a lot of uncertainties around where we’d be living from year to year, and I was finding that frustrating from a career perspective.
“Starting our own business became increasingly attractive. We sat down, did the numbers and set a date to make a final decision. Once we committed, we just got on with it.”
What does a typical day look like for you now?
“It’s a bit of a wild ride. A lot of my role is balancing proactive work with reactive work. When issues come up, it’s my job to support the team and help resolve them.
“There’s also the work involved in building the business – making sure systems and processes are in place, reviewing agreements, keeping an eye on finances and ensuring everything is moving in the right direction.
“I still do some technical reviews and technical work, but largely my role is about supporting the team. They’re the ones doing the day-to-day project delivery, and my job is to help them succeed.”
What are some projects Harris Kmon Solutions has worked on recently?
“We work on an incredibly broad range of projects. Recently, this has included project management of three new Indigenous art galleries as part of the NT Indigenous Arts Trail project, for which we were shortlisted as a national finalist in the Community Projects category for the AIPM Project Management Achievement Awards.
“We have also undertaken engineering design for regeneration works for the Alice Springs Town Centre, which is currently under construction. It includes some enormous tree-like steel shade structures, which we are looking forward to seeing come to life.
“Outside of the NT, we provided structural and building services engineering for the expansion of Peninsula Hot Springs on the Mornington Peninsula. This project adopted a modular approach to minimise onsite works. And just the other day, we delivered detailed engineering design for Stage 1 of the new Rockhampton Sporting Precinct.”
What’s one lesson you’d share with engineers considering starting their own business?
“People’s reactions were interesting when I told them what I was planning to do. Some people thought it was fantastic. Others immediately focused on what might go wrong.
“I’ve always approached decisions by asking myself: what’s the worst thing that can realistically happen? If I can deal with that outcome, then there’s usually no reason not to proceed.
“In our case, if the business didn’t work out, I’d go and get another job. I’d done it before and I could do it again. Once you’ve accepted the worst potential outcome, everything else becomes much less intimidating.”
Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of?
“I’ve worked on a lot of different projects over the years, but honestly, the thing I’m proudest of is the team we’ve built.
“It’s not easy to bring together a group of highly capable individuals and create alignment around how you solve problems and work with clients. We don’t all think the same way, nor should we, but everyone brings their own perspective and contributes to moving things forward.
“Seeing that team work effectively together and deliver great outcomes for clients is probably the achievement I’m most proud of.”
Have you seen progress for women in engineering during your career?
“There has certainly been a visible push to attract more women into engineering and related industries, particularly in sectors like construction and mining.
“That said, I don’t feel like we’ve seen the level of change many people hoped for. I still rarely walk into a meeting and see another woman my age in the room. There are younger women coming through, which is fantastic, but there are still noticeable gaps.
“One thing I have observed is that many women who choose engineering are incredibly deliberate about that decision. They genuinely want to be there. That’s reflected in the quality and capability of many of the women entering the profession.”
Engineering is changing rapidly. What advice would you give engineers trying to future-proof their careers?
“Technical skills will always matter. At the end of the day, engineers still need the expertise and judgement required to sign off on work and take responsibility for decisions.
“But the skills that will become even more important are the human ones. AI can process information, but it can’t sit down with a client and work out what the real problem is when the client isn’t entirely sure themselves.
“That takes communication, listening, experience and judgement. Those are things that develop over time and through working with people.
“My advice would be to build your technical capability, but don’t neglect the human side of engineering. The ability to communicate, understand people and solve problems collaboratively is incredibly difficult to replace.”
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