Akshay Doosa
Consultant – Operational Technologies
AUSTRALIA

Describe your Role at SYSTRA?

I am an Operational Technologies Consultant working under the Rail Engineering team at SYSTRA ANZ who has been fortunate enough to be able to work on and learn from key Australian Railway projects such as the TfNSW Electrical Isolations Improvement Program (EIIP), and the Cross River Rail (CRR) project.

I work full time as an Electrical Solution Engineer on the innovative EIIP, which aims to improve the current Sydney Trains Electrical Power Outage System (EPOS) process. In addition to my project work, I contribute to diversity at SYSTRA by being an active member of the SYSTRA Reconciliation Working Group (RWG) and the Pride@SYSTRA Working Committee.

Why do you enjoy what you do?

I hold master’s degrees in both Electrical Engineering and Engineering Management, in addition to a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunications. I began my career with the Brisbane City Council as the Lord Mayor’s choice for the New World City Internship Programme.

As a young engineer at the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority, I was fortunate to work with a variety of technical and operational Railway teams, which allowed me to understand my strengths and interests. This cemented my interest in Railways and gave me enough experience to start working as an Electrical Solution Engineer on the EIIP.

My career goal is to become a well-rounded Railway Engineer with experience in diverse sectors like Railway Operations. I am also passionate about climate change and believe that focusing on making passenger and freight trains an attractive alternative to electric cars and trucks helps with one part of that puzzle; and makes working in Railways exciting to me.

What are the 3 important qualities or skills in your job?

A passion for the Railway industry, like with any other career, is unquestionably the most important quality needed to be good at my role.

Any consultant should also be empathetic, which manifests itself as an ability to connect with clients. This could be helpful on multiple levels, whether with business development, or with understanding engineering problems and coming up with appropriate solutions. Being persistent is another quality that helps with unearthing engineering solutions.  

Why SYSTRA?

SYSTRA strives for a diverse and equitable workforce, and actively invests in initiatives like the RWG and the Pride@SYSTRA Working Committee. The RWG uses the framework provided by the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program to support the national reconciliation movement. The Pride@SYSTRA Working Committee supports the Diversity Strategy in relation to LGBTQ+ matters and helps strengthen support from within the business.

Being a part of a company that actively supports initiatives like these, as well as the company’s commitment to their employees’ personal and professional development is why I love working for SYSTRA.

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