As part of a series of stories profiling people of influence from around Beca, we asked Civil Engineer and founder of Girls in Infrastructure® Arden Hermans to tell us about her career journey and life outside of work.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Limburg, in the southern part of The Netherlands, and came to New Zealand with my family in the early 2000s. Speaking not a word of English, starting my first year of high school was very daunting. I remember sitting in class not having a clue what to do or what anyone was saying.
My parents had never been to New Zealand, even though it had been a life-long dream for my father. It took him many years to convince my mother and we eventually moved because my parents wanted a different life for us girls.
Dad took the first job he was offered, which was in Whangārei. Almost 25 years later, my two younger sisters have both settled in Auckland. Mum and Dad moved back to Europe before COVID, but they’ve missed us too much and are now moving back to New Zealand later this year!
What keeps you in Whangārei? What are the benefits of living and working there?
It is so beautiful up here. The sub-tropical climate means mild temperatures and the forests are always green. We truly have the most amazing beaches, and they are almost always empty - in comparison to Europe where this is unheard of. I've even swum with dolphins in the wild three times now. Where else in the world can you do that?
My partner, stepson and I live just out of town in a rural subdivision. The commute to work is only 10 or 15 minutes, which wouldn’t be possible in a big city. I must say the roads are getting busier and we just got our first T2 lane!
Watching this town grow and being a part of it, working in the infrastructure sector is really rewarding.
Do you feel like you get more opportunities in a smaller city?
There are different opportunities here versus a large city – not just with my job, but in general. Because it's a smaller community there are a lot more opportunities in terms of hobbies or community work, as there are less people so there are more spaces available to you.
I think it’s cool being in a regional office because we’re all on one floor, in an open-plan set up. We connect with everyone across different disciplines, which means you solve problems quicker. It’s a really great culture and you get to know one another.
I also love that we’re all client-facing. In a small community, we're the ones that go out and get the work as well as deliver it. Your client may also be your neighbour, or on your sports team and you see them at the supermarket. So you really get to know your clients in both a professional and personal capacity.
The beauty of working in a small community is that projects you work on directly relate to where you live. You see the impact. You’re improving services for your own family, as well as your friends. It’s a full circle and fills your cup in more ways than one.
What were you like as a little kid? What did you want to be?
When I was very little, I wanted to be a dolphin trainer, but as I got older my dream was to become a pilot. I had my first flying lesson on my 16th birthday. After leaving high school I continued this training and worked in the aviation sector before changing to the infrastructure sector in my late twenties.
I retrained to be a civil engineer due to a medical condition which halted my career as a pilot. Having worked two jobs and studied very hard to achieve my pilot licence, it was a struggle to come to terms with the sudden change. I really had to pause and ask, "what am I doing with my life?" I looked back on my aviation career and asked which parts I enjoyed the most, that I could turn into a new career pathway. There was many aspects that I loved about flying and the aviation sector, but I narrowed it down to engineering.
I was curious about chemical engineering as well as civil, so I went to several companies and asked them to explain what these jobs entailed. Civil resonated with me the most. I liked the sound of the indoor and outdoor aspects of the job, and turning designs on paper into physical things.
All of the companies I approached said, ‘If you choose to pursue this career, come and see us, we will have a job for you’. This showed there was a need, and I could work and study locally. I took Fulton Hogan up on their offer and started studying engineering while working.
I was surprised how many aspects from my aviation training came in handy, that I still use today. Pilot training equips you to multitask, perform effectively under pressure, maintain discipline, and make well-informed decisions.
Once I got into it I saw that there were so many other career opportunities available, and wondered why we didn’t know about them at high school. This is the main driver for why I created Girls in Infrastructure®. There were hardly any females when I started – I was often the only woman on a construction site.
It’s changing though. I had a cool meeting recently with a company that now has more females than males in their organisation and they want to learn how they can look after their female staff – to mentor and grow them.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love travelling, hunting, hiking, diving - typical Kiwi stuff which I wouldn’t have been able to do if my family had stayed in The Netherlands. These are also things Northland is known for, like the Poor Knights Islands – one of the most stunning spots in the world for diving.
I enjoy learning and expanding my knowledge so I can contribute more in my role, share what I’ve learned, and give back to the community. After studying engineering I did a degree in Business Management and now I’m doing a Masters in Sustainable Business.
I saw a gap in our industry around people’s knowledge on sustainability, so I decided I would learn about it. It is fast becoming a requirement for all projects. It’s amazing how much I've learned already and how much I'm using it in my role. It’s scary, the state the world is in, but in our industry we are ideally positioned to have influence and drive change.
As the past-chair of the Northland Women in Infrastructure network (an Infrastructure NZ network), I support and mentor people to help them grow their careers. I really enjoy helping others and watching people do well.
Getting involved with Infrastructure New Zealand or any membership or community organisation offers fantastic benefits. It gives you valuable development opportunities and personal growth. We need more people to get involved - especially in the regions.
How would your friends describe you?
Well, they probably would say they don’t see me much. My partner thinks he lives by himself at the moment! Work-life balance was a key reason I moved from contracting to consulting. While I thoroughly enjoyed contracting, I wanted to achieve a healthier balance and have more time for living. I always wanted to experience every aspect of the industry: contractor, consultant and client. I’m now seconded to a client so I can understand all three sides. These experiences allow me to act as a sort of translator - helping others see different viewpoints when problems or frustrations arise.
I’m an introverted person, but I’m a person that tackles my fears rather than let them consume me. I’ve had to force myself to do public speaking and chair meetings and be a department manager. For some this may come naturally and gives them energy, but for me it takes energy. So I enjoy grabbing a book to get lost in and re-energise.
I’m also an empath, which means I naturally take on other people’s emotions. This can be a real strength, especially when managing people, as it makes me receptive to what’s happening in their lives and helps me be a supportive friend - I genuinely feel what others are going through. However, it can also be challenging, as sometimes I end up carrying others' worries on top of my own.
Is Girls in Infrastructure rewarding?
Absolutely, but it was really hard to get the initiative off the ground. Careers Advisors in secondary schools told me not to bother, they said no-one would come, because girls aren’t interested in working in the infrastructure sector! Eventually, I connected with a group of local science teachers who said, heck yeah, that sounds cool. Overall it took two years to get the first event to happen.
Getting students to the event wasn’t the only problem. Convincing companies to commit and sponsor it was another hurdle as I didn't have money to fund it. Finding several senior women in the sector who resonated with the initiative helped bring companies on board to kickstart the first event in Northland.
It has grown from there, with Infrastucture NZ now delivering these events. This year we had our first Wellington event and we’re aiming to take it to the South Island next year. Christchurch here we come!
The first time a young woman came back as an employee (who’d been to the event as a student), and spoke to the next generation about what she does for a job – that was the most rewarding and humbling moment.