SSSI Events

IWD21 Webinar – Women in Surveying

Date & Time

Thursday, 4 Mar 2021
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm AEDT

Register now - scroll to the bottom of this page!

To celebrate 2021 International Women’s Day (8 March), SSSI is pleased to present it is webinar showcasing some of the female leaders in our surveying profession and providing role models for what is possible for women in surveying to the next generation of our industry.  There are so many roles surveyors can take that are visible to our community. Hopefully success breeds success and the visibility of our profession in these leading spaces is able to encourage and inspire the pursuit of a career in the profession. Even better when we can share instances of females succeeding in these roles. Many people believe that ‘you cannot be what you cannot see’ and our lack of female role models impacts our ability to encourage young girls and women into surveying careers. This seminar provides the perfect opportunity to reset the balance and show some of the talent and opportunities are being realised by women in the surveying profession.

Our speakers

Narelle Underwood | Surveyor-General NSW

Not only is Narelle Underwood the youngest NSW Surveyor-General for 200 years, she is the first woman to hold the position, a major role which is responsible for regulation of the land and mining surveying profession.

Since her appointment in 2016 she has led a number of technical modernisation projects on behalf of the Government and has worked to lift the public profile of surveying to encourage more young people into the profession. She is one of 60 Superstars of STEM, run by Science & Technology Australia – aiming to smash gender assumptions and provide role models for the next generation of girls coming into STEM professions – and she also acts as a mentor to men and women in surveying and leadership. Narelle’s achievements were recognised at the 2019 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards, when she was named as co-winner of the ANZSOG-sponsored Emerging Female Leader in Government or Public Sector.

Narelle will speak on the role of the Surveyor General, provide an update from the NSW Government Board of Surveying and Spatial Information (BOSSI) as well as provide a numerical overview of BOSSI results & statistics.

Dione Bilick | Surveyor-General WA

Dione Bilick is the 20th Surveyor General of Western Australia and the state’s first female in this role since its creation in 1829. She oversees the integrity of plans and surveys that underpin WA's land and property information. Dione has a mine surveying background and is a member of the Land Surveyors Licensing Board which ensures the standard of licensed land surveyors for the Western Australian community. She is also an employee of Landgate, where she has extensively engaged with the surveying profession and led innovative improvements in plans and new titles processing

Kellie Dean  | Principal Surveyor and Business Unit Manager, Spiire

Kellie is a leading advocate in the surveying and spatial industry determined to enhance the profile and diversity of the surveying profession. Formerly the President of the Institution of Surveyors Victoria (ISV), Kellie brings a unique perspective based on her leadership experience in multidisciplinary consultancy businesses and involvement in some of Victoria’s most iconic property developments. Kellie is part of the National Surveying Diversity Leadership Network.

Jemma Picco | Principal Surveyor, Qld Department of Resources

Jemma is the Principal Surveyor for North Region in the Queensland Government Department of Resources who leads the regional surveying team. Jemma is based in Cairns. Her expertise is in the field of cadastral (land) surveying and land tenure resolution. Jemma’s team provides the surveying support to the Cape York Tenure Resolution team which returns ownership and management of identified lands on Cape York Peninsula to local Aboriginal Traditional Owners, while ensuring the protection of Cape York Peninsula’s iconic natural areas and significant natural and cultural values. Jemma is a Registered Cadastral Surveyor with the Surveyors Board of Queensland, is an active member of the surveying industry and has received numerous awards over the years including the SSSI Special Achievement Award in 2014, awarded for her contribution to the surveying industry and the community while recognising her role as a primary carer. Like many Women in Surveying, Jemma works part-time while ‘juggling’ her family commitments.

Jemma will speak about her role as Principal Surveyor, the aspirational work-life balance and what she considers are “Secrets to Success”.

Inga Playle | Spatial Informational Specialist at Hydro Tasmania

Inga Playle is a spatial professional that has a twenty year career in government and consulting having held roles in GIS, Remote Sensing, Geomatics and now as a  member of the Board of Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute. She has worked for Forestry Tasmania, The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE), Insight GIS, Entura and is currently at Hydro Tasmania.  

Inga’s talk will give a brief summary of her career so far, the challenges she has encountered and her proudest achievements. Inga will touch on some personal, industry and societal challenges and give some insights into what will be important to challenge in the future in line with the IWD2021 theme is #ChooseToChallenge, which is a fantastic theme.

Amanda Khoury | Registered Surveyor 

Amanda is a surveyor at SDG Land Development Solutions and has recently completed her Certificate of Competency in NSW to become a registered surveyor. She was a chair of the former Young Surveyors NSW (ISNSW) and will provide her perspectives as an early career professional on the paths to registration and surveying.

Venessa O’Connell  | Group Survey Manager, Port Authority of NSW

Venessa has been a registered surveyor for 18 years. She has experience executing and managing surveys and managing spatial information across a range of NSW Government agencies including the RTA, LPI, and at the Port Authority of NSW. Her work has included managing cadastral surveys, detail surveys, engineering surveys and monitoring surveys all utilising specialist equipment such as laser scanners, total stations and sonar technologies.

Denise McKenzie | Director Benchmark Initiative, Geovation, Ordnance Survey

Denise has extensive experience working with all sectors of the geospatial industry - intra/inter-jurisdictional government, private sector, industry associations, communities and academia. She has a particular focus applied to identification of public – private collaboration opportunities and emerging technology trends and is an experienced presenter at national and international conferences. She has over 20 years’ experience in information and technology policy, strategy, communications, product and project management, predominantly working across the geospatial industry.

Denise will share her recent career journeys with the growth of the Women in Geospatial+ network, what she has learned about location ethics through Benchmark and why she has gone back to university to study Sustainability at this stage in her career.

Registration

By registering below, you receive access to the watch the webinar live OR if you can't watch it live, you receive the link to the recording 24 hours after the event date.  You can then watch the recording at your leisure.

CPD

This event is worth two SSSI CPD Points.

BOSSI - 2 Survey Practice Points (SSSINSW1037)

Note, only the individual registered for the event is entitled to receive the associated CPD points.

Contact

Katie Le Miere
katie.lemiere@sssi.org.au