As part of a series of stories profiling people of influence from around Beca, we asked Business Director – Renewables Harshal Patel to tell us about his career journey and life outside of work.
You’re a Kiwi living in Melbourne – how did the move come about?
I was born in Auckland and started with Beca as a grad in 2013. My wife and I moved to Melbourne in 2018. I was travelling quite a bit from Auckland to Melbourne to work closely with AusNet at that time, who are a key client for Beca in Victoria. We decided to move to Melbourne for a couple of years, thinking it would be an OE.
And then of course COVID happened, and another few years went by. We’ve now been here seven years and are calling it home. We enjoy being in a bigger city and being able to easily travel around Australia and South East Asia.
You became a Principal at Beca in 2023, 10 years after you started as a graduate. That’s quite a fast career progression, isn’t it?
Yes, it’s probably quicker than average. We talk about owning your own career at Beca and I truly believe that. I’ve always been a person who, if I saw something interesting, I would put my hand up and say that I want to be involved rather than waiting to be asked.
That includes the things I’m passionate about, like renewable energy. I developed that passion at university and I haven’t given up on it since.
In New Zealand, I had the opportunity to work with big industrial users on their decarbonisation strategies and look at alternative energy solutions such as solar and battery storage. I was also fortunate to be involved with Northpower and Merdian Energy’s first solar farm developments in the Far North as Technical Director.
After moving to Australia, I could see that renewables were starting to grow significantly and that Beca needed to get involved and invest in responding to the market early, ahead of the boom.
Today, I’m leading the renewables business for Beca in Australia. I’m out with my clients every day, and we’re seeing really good progress in terms of our reputation as a consultant in the renewables market here.
How did you become interested in renewable energy?
I’ve always been interested in sustainability. I did my internship at Mercury at the end of my third year of uni. It was a great opportunity – I got to see all of the major hydro stations on the Waikato River, and understand how a natural resource like water can generate renewable energy.
It really piqued my interest – that we can generate electricity cleanly through the wind and the sun. That’s pretty awesome.
What was your childhood like in New Zealand?
My parents migrated from Fiji to Auckland in 1987. My father was always self-employed. When I was nine, we moved up to Kerikeri in Northland and we lived there until I was at university. My father ran four businesses at once – he had a dairy, a fruit and vege store, a pizzeria and a cafe. Later, he sold them and opened the first Indian restaurant in Kerikeri.
In 2013 when my younger sister started university, the family moved back to Auckland.
How many siblings do you have?
I have a twin brother as well as my younger sister. My brother is two minutes older, so I’m actually the middle child.
Why did you choose to study engineering at university?
I was looking at computer systems engineering, but I had an older cousin who was a PhD student and very talented. He moved into engineering and I took that as a guiding light for what I wanted to do. I soon worked out that I needed to do electrical engineering to pursue a career in renewables.
What were you like as a child?
My parents were here recently and my wife would rat me out to them and say that I’m so cheeky and so naughty. They would say, ‘When Harshal was growing up he was so quiet, so well behaved, we never had any issues’. It was my sister who was a handful!
The only thing my brother and I would do when we were younger was, whenever we saw that we were going to pass by a McDonalds, we’d say that we needed the bathroom – just so they had to stop and we could go inside and get a Happy Meal!
How would your friends describe you?
They would say I’m social, inquisitive, easy to be around and reliable. I generally get along with people, probably because I don’t like confrontation, so that allows me to be optimistic about everything.
Why do you recommend renewables as a career choice?
Climate change is real. The extreme weather events over the last few years such as floods, cyclones and bushfires are a clear tell that if we don’t transition away from fossil fuels quickly, things will get much worse.
I think you want to have some certainty that when you’re ready to settle down and think about raising a family, you can do so in a world that’s still liveable.
You can play a part in that by having a career in engineering. You get to design something and see it being built, that will have a big impact on future communities in terms of liveability and sustainability.
I can already see that projects I’ve worked on are making a difference.
A career in renewables is going to give you job security – you’re always going to be in demand. There are not enough of us, so you’ll always be in a position where you’re sought after.