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VIC Technical Event - July 2025

Icon of a calendar 3 Jul, 2025 | Small clock icon 5.00pm - 7.30pm | Icon of a map pin SMEC Office, 20/727 Collins St, Docklands VIC 3008

Shaping Water Careers: How Mentoring and Leadership Drive Industry Success

Following the success of our 2025 National Mentoring Program, we are excited to announce the launch of our next technical event in Victoria. We are thrilled to collaborate with our sponsor SMEC, who will be hosting and facilitating this conversation. As the water industry grows and innovates amidst the rising challenges of climate change and population growth, it is crucial for our industry to attract and retain the best talent. This event will focus on how mentoring, leadership, and professional networking can foster a strong water industry, with expert tips from a panel of professionals demonstrating how they have advanced their careers using these strategies. 

This event will give recent mentor-mentee participants the opportunity to evaluate how their mentoring match is progressing and provide a valuable forum for local participation. Mentors and mentees are encouraged to attend but it's not essential that you're involved in the mentoring program. Attendees will benefit from discussions on strategies for recruiting to the water industry, skills needed for career advancement, support for professional growth, and the role of mentoring in career development. 

We welcome all to attend, from university students seeking guidance on entering the water industry, to more senior professionals looking for clarity on how to provide the best environment for career advancement. 

The event will conclude with casual networking, accompanied by food and refreshments.


 
Panelists 

 

James Gong

 

Dr James Gong | Deakin University
Dr James (Jinzhe) Gong is passionate about sustainable water resource and asset management through innovation, collaboration and education. James works closely with the water industry to deliver benefits to the community.
His recent work in collaboration with Hydraulic Consultants Association of Australasia (HCAA) has delivered a major update in 50 years to the approach for estimating the water demand in Australian residential buildings. It addresses the problem of significant over-estimation of the peak demand in current Australian standard and the systematic oversizing of premise plumbing systems in current design. The new approach has been endorsed by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) and will be included in the upcoming National Construction Code (NCC) 2025. 
 Prior to his appointment at Deakin University, James worked as a Data Analytics Engineer in South Australian Water Corporation (SA Water) for the Adelaide City Smart Water Network project, and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide. His work in SA Water has contributed to a 50% reduction in uncontrolled pipe breaks in the Adelaide City water network. One of his research outcomes, a hydraulic transient-based pipe wall condition screening tool, has been successfully commercialised through an industry partner.
 

 

Emma Milburn Headshot

 

Emma Milburn | South East Water & Iota
 
Emma is the Group Manager, Research, Development and Innovation at South East Water.
Emma has a background in Partnerships, Program Management and Marketing and specialises in the commercialisation of innovative solutions. Emma has held various roles in innovation commercialisation, from Project and Program Management to Strategic Marketing at GE Digital, APAC before joining South East Water and it’s commercialisation arm, Iota.
She studied Business and Financial Economics at the University of Leeds in the UK, and moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2009.
Emma is the President of the Australian Water Association Victorian Branch Committee and a member of the SWAN APAC Leadership Group.
 

Tanya Pearson Headshot

 Tanya Pearson | SMEC
 

Currently the Manager of Water, Dams & Hydropower (VIC/TAS) at SMEC, Tanya has  over 25 years of experience delivering major infrastructure projects across the public and private sectors. She spent 16 years at Yarra Valley Water, where she led cross-functional teams and drove improvements in capital delivery and stakeholder engagement. Tanya has worked on everything from pump stations and pipelines to tram tracks and cemeteries, and takes pride in being both technically grounded and people-focused. Tanya cares deeply about creating meaningful careers, mentoring others, and delivering projects that make a real difference. She's also a big believer in keeping things real, human, and collaborative.

 

Event Details

Date Thursday 3 July 2025
Time

5.00pm - 7.30pm

Location

SMEC Offices.  20/727 Collins St, Docklands VIC 3008

Cost
$45 member, $65 Non-member
 

               

Thank you to our sponsor

 

smec_logo

 

For more information please contact: 
Natasha Sharrock, Member Engagement Manager - VIC
Email
nsharrock@awa.asn.au | Tel 02 9467 8423

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