RACA Journal www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I January 2024 29
Personality Profile Sponsored by :
MARELI BOTHA : 2023 CESA YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Edited by Eamonn Ryan
Mareli Botha of Zutari was named the 2023 CESA Young Engineer of the Year , and RACA Journal caught up with her to get her story .
This is a woman for whom gender was no obstacle . She lists her areas of engineering competence and experience as : process engineering ( chemical engineering ), sustainability , green process engineering design and project management . The following is in her own words :
I decided to study chemical engineering because of the connection to systems thinking – and to be honest , that is about all I knew about this field when I started my studies . Thank goodness it turned out to be something I really love .
Then , while studying , I got the amazing opportunity to do vacation work for NECSA ( the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation ), in the plasma engineering department . I completed a couple of designs for a plasma waste-to-energy project and found my passion . The combination of engineering , creative design , and the concept of making a difference to one of the largest problems internationally – namely the waste crisis and environmental impact – became my inspiration .
I wanted to continue working in this field . So , when I finished my studies , I basically cold called one of the leading specialists in the world on plasma engineering in the world and begged him to allow me to do an internship under him . Prof Laux agreed , and off I went to Paris , France . I worked for Prof Laux for a couple of months and later got accepted to do an international masters in France in project management , energy and environmental engineering . This course opened my eyes to all of the other options in environmental engineering and sustainable design . So here I am , a couple of years later , working in green process engineering and project management at Zutari . At this company I have access to excellent colleagues and mentors and am able to work in my field of passion every day .
In process engineering , there are so many different career opportunities that every person can find their fit – from working in design engineering , to working on site as part of the operations teams , to construction and commissioning , to research and development , to management , to systems design and business processes . There are also a number of specialist fields within process engineering , such as bio-engineering , minerals processing , petrochemical , water , green engineering , etc . It ’ s a fascinating field that allows many different personalities to find their match .
What makes us ( women ) strong is having variety in the field – different genders and cultures bring different ways of thinking that make the field better . Women in STEM is therefore vital ! On the positive side , we have noticed a significant increase in women in the process engineering field in the last couple of years , which shows that the industry is changing and people are changing their way of thinking . I believe a number of other engineering fields are seeing a similar change . Having good female
Mareli Botha of Zutari was named the 2023 CESA Young Engineer of the Year .
role models in this field is an important part of this ! My gender did not in the slightest influence my choice of career and indeed my actual career . I was fortunate to have access to strong mentors and role models , both male and female . I have never felt that my gender held me back or influenced my decisions in this field . This is actually what we want – for females to feel that they have freedom of choice in what they want to do with their lives and for discrimination and bias to be a non-issue !
As consulting engineers , we work in an industry that is constantly changing . New technologies , new legislation , new risks and priorities for clients drive the types of projects that the market needs . This means that we constantly need to improve ourselves and adapt to changes in the industry . Lifelong learning is a reality in this field , where deep expertise and relevant skills are values . This is both a challenge and a great opportunity . For myself , I make sure that I interact with other experts on a daily basis to keep learning and adapting . I have never stopped studying and am currently busy with a PhD . RACA
RACA Journal www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I January 2024 29