As part of a series of stories profiling people of influence from around Beca, we asked Principal – Project Management Danielle Lind-Corkill to tell us about her career journey and life outside of work.
You're a chemical and process engineer – why did you choose that path?
I was going to be a civil engineer. To be honest, I didn't know what chemical engineers were. I grew up in Invercargill in the South Island of New Zealand and there weren't too many chemical engineers around Invercargill in those days. But I was really good at drawing, and so I knew I’d be able to work on a drafting board and be quite productive in that space.
It was at university that I realised there were other engineering disciplines. I was still thinking of civil engineering but the civil department was pretty old-fashioned. They saw me as a girl from the provinces whose grades were just OK – I wasn’t an A student. They told me I would find it too hard!
I thought, ‘Huh? I haven’t even been given a chance here’. Some family members suggested I try the chemical engineering department instead, which was much more inclusive, and I’ve never looked back.
For me, it's about the problem solving. Chemical and process engineering is generally the first cab off the rank: What is the problem we're trying to solve and how are we going to solve it? I love that big picture thinking.
I was never going to be an engineer who enjoyed sitting at a desk doing calculations. I’m an extrovert and I like to know what’s going on. After a couple of hours at a desk I’m up and out of my chair looking for someone to talk to. Some colleagues used to joke that you could set your watch by it!
Tell me about your career journey up to this point
When I finished university I didn’t have an industry or sector in mind that I particularly wanted to jump into, so I went into consulting straight away, thinking I’d do a bit of everything and figure it out. In hindsight, the firm I started with was a bit small and so there were not a lot of options.
I ended up going into the dairy industry and being site-based during huge milk powder plant expansions, so that I could watch and learn from others. I moved on to the petrochemical industry, then went back to consulting about 10 years later, with another site-based project role in the oil refining sector, before I joined Beca. Along the way I’ve lived and worked in Christchurch, Tīmaru, Wellington, Taranaki and Whangārei.
You recently relocated from Whangārei to Brisbane with Beca. What prompted the move?
It was a case of wanting to extend myself. I got to work on some awesome projects in Whangārei but eventually I wanted to get more involved with project delivery. Also, I’d been there four years. I’m an advocate for moving on and making room for others to step up and grow into leadership positions.
I had worked on some renewable energy projects in New Zealand but the scale of renewable energy projects over here is something else! I’m not an electrical engineer but I get to bring my project management skills and work alongside others as part of a bigger team. It’s been a good learning curve but I love learning new things.
I was lucky that my husband and two teenage kids were happy to move too. We lived in a nice quiet part of Northland and the kids were in a small country school, but they’d outgrown that lifestyle. We were all ready for new opportunities.
We moved at the beginning of 2025. I won’t say the move was plain sailing. Everything takes longer than you hope for but you just have to be patient. Our house in New Zealand took a long time to sell, which meant we had to rent in Queensland to begin with. Now that we’ve been able to buy a house here we’ve finally moved our dog over, so the family is all back together again. There were some teary-eyed moments reuniting with the dog at Brisbane airport a few weeks ago!
What are the most rewarding parts of your job?
I like seeing stuff happening and being part of the team doing the delivery – that’s what steered me towards project management. My favourite question is, ‘What’s the big picture here – why are we doing this?’ Don’t ever be afraid to ask that question.
Our clients are doing some really cool things – but it’s not just the client work that’s rewarding. I also do voluntary work with IChemE (Institution of Chemical Engineers) and through CEDA (Committee for Economic Development of Australia). That’s all about connecting people. If I don’t know the answer, maybe I can connect them with someone who does. What I get a kick out of is seeing everyone come together with a common goal to solve complex problems.
The other thing that’s really rewarding is giving other people opportunities. When you’re in a senior role and you get to lead things, and you can reach out and bring people with you.
I remember a graduate who worked with me when I was in the oil and gas industry. We were retrofitting a new level control in a horizontal vessel. I needed her to come up with a calculation for volume using level, then automate the calculation so that we would be able to redo it several times over as the design evolved.
She looked at me and said, ‘You’re the first person to explain to me why I’m doing something and why it’s important, and actually give me a challenge’. She appreciated that I had put it in context for her, not just given her a task.
Another one was a process engineer who joined us for a workshop on site and said to me, ‘This is the first time I’ve gone to site with a real reason, a meaningful role – not just to watch and learn’. Being able to do that for people is pretty cool.
Last year I got to be a coach through Killibinbin, which is the leadership programme Beca runs for women in our Australian business. That was pretty special in terms of the time I got to spend with the person I coached; figuring out how I could help her; and seeing her start to think about things differently.
Have you had good mentors along the way?
I’ve been with Beca for about five years. I came from a heavy industry background which can be quite tough – sometimes there’s not a lot of pastoral care! So it took me a while to get used to so much positivity at work and being recognised for doing my job well. It’s so important that we keep doing that and build each other up.
Since I joined Beca I’ve been really fortunate to work with so many people who I’ve looked at and thought, ‘What a role model’. Working alongside them has made me be a better person, a more level-headed person. That’s awesome to have. You can learn so much from watching how others work.
What advice do you offer people these days?
Over the years I’ve learned that you’ve got to make time to maintain your relationships with your network – the people you can pick up the phone to and decompress or get perspective on your career. It’s not always your peers or your partner – you need a wider cohort of people you can trust who can give you an outside view.
It’s also really important to build and maintain independent accreditation and recognition in your area. For engineers that means you need to get chartered and visibly support your chosen profession and sectors. We operate in a competitive world and it’s really important that you keep your skills current.
What are your interests outside of work?
I still enjoy art. I like to take photographs of landscapes and then paint them. I love being out in the bush and outdoors. I do yoga and Zumba to keep the limbs moving freely and I love to read. Five years ago, I started learning French for a family holiday that never happened because of COVID, and I’ve kept that up. I think it’s good to maintain other interests outside of work and family.
We’re really enjoying the climate and lifestyle in the Gold Coast. Everyone’s out exercising or enjoying the beach. I love the wildlife and all the kooky birds – even the ones the locals call a ‘bin chicken’!
I’m enjoying learning about how things work over here – there are lots of differences in the way our systems work between New Zealand and Australia, but I find that quite motivating and fun.
How do your friends and colleagues describe you?
Positive, energetic, extroverted, organised. They’ll say things like, ‘We couldn’t have done it without you’.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been someone who’s always busy doing or thinking about something. I’m a Type A personality who likes to see results and puts a lot of energy into things.
I’m probably too much of a giver and need to give more to myself!
