Engineering Intelligence: The Skills Powering the Future of the Energy Sector

On International Women in Engineering Day 2026, the Australian Power Institute brought together engineers from across the power sector to explore this year's theme: Engineering Intelligence. 

Featuring Anna Forster (TasNetworks), Jessica Jones (Energy Queensland), Cherry Tin Shwe (Western Power) and Bianca Christison (AEMO), the discussion challenged traditional ideas about what makes a successful engineer. While technical capability remains essential, the panel highlighted that engineering intelligence extends far beyond technical expertise. 

Throughout the conversation, one message emerged clearly: the power sector needs engineers who can combine technical knowledge with communication, leadership, adaptability and human-centred thinking.

The audience agreed. Early polling during the webinar identified critical thinking and communication as the engineering skills used most often in practice, reinforcing the idea that engineering is as much about working with people as it is about solving technical problems. 

For Bianca Christison, Network Planning Manager at AEMO, emotional intelligence has become increasingly important throughout her career.

“As a person's career progresses, and in particular as we move more into those leadership and mentorship roles, it becomes more important. We need to manage difficult situations, handle conflict fairly and calmly, and to do all of that we really do need emotional intelligence.”Bianca Christison

Bianca reflected on the importance of learning from strong leaders and consciously developing behaviours that build trust and positive team environments. 

Cherry Tin Shwe, Engineering Team Leader at Western Power, described engineering intelligence through her personal framework of the three Cs: communication, collaboration and continuous learning.

“A lot of people think engineering intelligence is technical expertise and problem solving. But for me, it is communication, collaboration and continuous learning.”Cherry Tin Shwe

Cherry shared examples from her career where bringing stakeholders together and creating a shared vision proved more effective than attempting to solve challenges in isolation. 

“Engineers like to solve problems ourselves,” she explained, “but sometimes stepping out of that zone and talking to people leads to much greater achievements.”Cherry Tin Shwe

Jessica Jones, Senior Network Integration Officer at Energy Queensland, reinforced the importance of balancing technical capability with people skills.

Having entered the industry through a traineeship pathway, Jessica reflected on how different the reality of engineering was compared to what she expected as a student. 

“When I joined, I thought it was going to be lots of maths, but realistically it was this blend of communication, leadership and technical skills.”Jessica Jones

She highlighted curiosity, adaptability and collaboration as critical capabilities that university alone cannot fully teach.

For Anna Forster, Graduate Engineer at TasNetworks, engineering intelligence is about translation. Drawing on experience from previous careers in operations, training and event management, Anna explained that engineers often sit at the intersection of technical systems, people, budgets and risk.

“Engineering doesn't exist in isolation. It sits at the intersection of people and systems and budgets and risks. Being able to translate between those worlds is just as critical as the technical competence itself.” Anna Forster

The panel also shared honest reflections about career growth, mistakes and lessons learned. Common themes included the importance of mentors, seeking support from others, learning to collaborate rather than solve every problem alone, and having the confidence to contribute your perspective. 

As the discussion drew to a close, participants reflected on what future power engineers need more of. Adaptability emerged as a key theme. In a sector experiencing rapid technological change, increasing renewable integration, digital transformation and evolving customer expectations, there is no longer a simple handbook for every challenge. 

Engineering intelligence in today's power sector means combining technical expertise with emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration, leadership and a willingness to keep learning. 

As the panel demonstrated, the engineers shaping the future of our industry are not just solving technical problems. They are bringing people together, navigating complexity, translating ideas into action and building the relationships that enable successful outcomes. 

That is engineering intelligence in action.