Somoud Al Masri

In her own words 

Throughout my career I have focused on thinking about the big picture, being bold, and finding simple solutions to complex challenges. I always hone-in on the ‘why’ and don’t shy away from tackling the tricky issues. 

I studied Civil Engineering at Damascus University in Arabic and when I started working in Dubai it was for a British company. It took me a few years to learn English to the level that I could fully communicate my expertise and the solutions I was developing, as well as overcome my anxiety around working in a new language. I was extremely persistent, and I had people around me who believed in me, and I owe them a lot.  

Another major challenge in my career was when I was working on EXPO 2020 Dubai which involved creating a smart city in the desert within six years. I needed to communicate with people from around the world who had worked on other transformational programmes including the London Olympics because it was all so new to me. It helped me build my communication skills and my global network. 

Some of my biggest learnings came when I was working for a very difficult, disrespectful manager. I discovered a lot of what not to do. I learnt how to hold your ground, protect your integrity, and build a network around you of people who can see the truth. 

Coming to Australia in 2019 was another big step because I had to figure out literally everything – including where to live, how to drive as well as understand the different procurement methodologies, government processes and election cycles here. Again, at every step of the way I had great people around me who supported me. I believe in investing and sustaining relationships to intentionally build a network with reciprocity. I have friends and colleagues around the world. They are there for me and I am there for them. 

Finding the switch 

We are all competing for the small percentage of women studying STEM subjects. Recently I heard the shocking statistic that women in Australia made up only 16% of enrolments in vocational STEM courses and our organisations and governments are all fighting for this small pool. 

Intentionality is the key to solving any problem. If we think of increasing women’s participation in the transport industry as a business challenge, we will figure out a solution together. It is a critical commercial issue, and no one group or sector can come up with a solution by themselves. 

Someone advised me that to drive change, you need to ‘find the switch’ in how decisions are made. It could involve the government leading the way and placing greater weighting in its procurement evaluations to bidders with diverse teams. Or opening the door to women immigrants with qualifications and experience that could be harnessed in the transport industry, including allocating higher percentages within the criteria to those with engineering or tech qualifications. We know how much Australia needs workforce resources right now. We need to recognise and celebrate the international experience and diversity of knowledge immigrants bring. And we need to provide short courses to induct them in local Australian practices and provide experience fast. For most immigrants it currently takes about five years after moving to Australia to get to the professional level they were when they left their country of origin. 

This could form one part of an immediate solution. At the same time, we need to speak with girls in primary school about the amazing roles in engineering and transport and highlight the careers available to them. When I reflect on why I became an engineer it was because someone had randomly said something to me which was inspirational. If we were to speak about transport industry roles intentionally with young girls, that would drive societal change. We need to take a holistic approach if we are serious about achieving gender equity and greater representation of women in our industry and not pass the issues down to the next generation and the generations after. 

Inspiring new conversations 

About 6 years ago I was invited to our Dallas’ headquarters to meet with the CEO, Board members and very senior leaders as part of the Jacobs Women’s Network. I was nervous. I wasn’t sure I was qualified to be part of these conversations. A colleague said to me - they picked you for a reason, they know who you are, and they wanted you to be at that the table. Go and be yourself because that is the person they have invited. I hold that advice very close still. 

Another time, after participating in a panel discussion that involved questions from the floor, I felt I hadn’t done a great job because I like to be over prepared to handle my public speaking anxiety. A few days later a member of the audience at that event reached out to me on LinkedIn to say they had taken a video of me speaking to show her Spanish friend who put limitations on herself because of her accent. This person told me - I wanted to show my friend that you have an accent and were on stage talking and taking questions.  

It made me reflect - if my speaking on the panel motivated another person to have a go, that’s enough for me!