Our People

Mariny holds a masterʼs degree in Environmental Engineering at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) and a bachelorʼs degree in Water Resources Engineering and Rural Infrastructures at ITC (Cambodia). She has experience in working in water/ wastewater treatment, air pollution, and hydrology. As a Technology Development Specialist with EWB Australia in Cambodia, Mariny focuses on developing, trialling and delivering appropriate technology for communities in rural areas, to improve water in Sanitation in Challenging Environments and mobility.

Chanrika graduated in bio-engineering in 2019. She has been involved with EWB since 2018 through participating in the EWB internship program with ATEC Biodigesters. As an EWB alumni, Rika also attended the EWB design workshop and critical thinking course in 2019. With a passion for human-centred design skills and critical thinking, Rika volunteered to co-facilitate school outreach workshops and was a leader of the critical thinking team in 2019 and 2020. She always starts her mornings with 15 minutes of yoga; and the perfect weekend is spending the whole day with family in their home town, cooking and trying new dishes together – and playing with the dogs and kittens.

Pin has over 20 years’ experience in project implementation and management of humanitarian, water and sanitation and hygiene. He has extensive general WASH techniques and tools including PHAST, CLTS, WASH education, incorporate Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness in WASH.

Elsa has been involved with EWB Australia in Timor-Leste for some time as a Feto Enginhera member and Design Challenge participant. Elsa undertook an internship with EWB Australia in Timor-Leste in early 2019 as well as attending the mid-year Humanitarian Design Summit.

Chandra has been involved with EWB Australia in Timor-Leste for some time as a Feto Enginhera member and Design Challenge participant while studying engineering at university. Chandra also attended the 2019 mid-year Humanitarian Design Summit.

Stephanie is an environmental engineer and has been working since 2006 either for NGOs in Uganda, Timor-Leste, the Solomon Islands and now Vanuatu, or in consulting and local council in Australia. Through her studies and experiences, Stephanie learnt that to be working efficiently in the water sector, one has to tap into a wide range of skills and behaviours in order to respond to the ‘wicked problems’ of today’s world. She is therefore constantly looking for opportunities to grow her own technical, social and leadership skills, as well as those of colleagues and partners, in order to ultimately create healthier and more resilient living places.

Terry brings to EWB great experience working with volunteer organisations such as the Peace Corps and the Australian Volunteers Program, where he has worked as a cultural, language and technical trainer. Terry is also an actor and has previously worked as an actor for a theatre company, facilitating awareness campaign sessions in Vanuatu. He also has experience in general program management in the NGO sector.

Gavin brings to EWB his experience as a board member for seven years for an international not-for-profit organisation representing 200,000 members in 100 countries. Gavin’s experience includes the role of International President of Toastmasters International and speaking to audiences in 17 countries.

Gavin has an honours degree in engineering and an MBA in Technology Management. He has a wealth of experience in local government and private enterprise and has held a range of roles from asset management to geotechnical engineering to business marketing to industrial relations.

Gavin is passionate about people and the important work of achieving lasting impact through EWB’s holistic approach to human-centred engineering. He has volunteered in Cambodia for EWB and seen first hand the high calibre of EWB staff and volunteers and the marvellous work they do!

Margarita is a data enthusiast and active Engineers Without Borders chapter member. What started out in 2013 as a fun run dressed as a toilet (calling out EWB’s WASH projects) has turned into a passion for finding even more creative ways members can have fun while raising the organisation’s profile and influence within the wider community. Since then, she’s held various leadership and supporting roles as part of Sydney chapter through fundraising, a speaker series connecting EWB’s extensive Alumni network and Challenge scholars, and event partnerships.

She currently works in digital analytics, coaching others on new ways to visualise data to make faster, better, more customer-centred decisions. Her love of numbers and communication began with Bachelor degrees in Engineering (Industrial Chemistry) and Arts (English Literature) and continues with a postgraduate degree in applied statistics. Having worked in marketing and financial services, she brings to the table her unique perspective around EWB’s impact in bringing about positive social change.

Working with EWB’s staff and members is a constant source of inspiration and motivation for her and she looks forward to further contributing to their great work through human-centred engineering.

Mike is a Senior Managing Director with FTI Consulting specialising in financial turnarounds, interim management, and mergers and acquisitions. He is an experienced senior financial professional with over 25 years’ experience in finance, turnaround, restructuring and M&A. He has had extensive experience in both advising boards of small and large, private and public companies as well as sitting on not-for-profit and for-profit boards both here in Australia and in Asia.

Having lived and worked extensively across Asia, Australia, Europe and America, he has held senior financial and management roles in many organisations across a wide range of industries including manufacturing, automotive, airlines, healthcare, financial services, retail, real estate and construction. Mike is a qualified Chartered Accountant, a Certified Turnaround Practitioner, a Certified Valuation Analyst and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Shane Kennelly, Managing Director of Kennelly Constructions and First People Recruitment Solutions, is a proud Bundjalung man with over 15 years of experience in senior executive positions leading and building sustainable growth for businesses across the defence, telecommunications, construction, resources and energy sectors.

Shane is passionate about providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with long-term sustainable employment opportunities, and helping their businesses grow. He also wants to increase the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, to ensure that they are not further marginalised due to technological advances. Shane sits on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Business and Innovation Reference group for the Queensland Government and the RAP Advisory Committee for GHD.

Shane has a Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Sydney University and a Masters of Business from the University of Western Sydney.

Lily was appointed Company Secretary in November 2018. She is a corporate transactional/advisory lawyer (primarily in equity capital markets) with over six years’ legal experience working at top tier law firms in Auckland, London and Sydney, and is a qualified solicitor in both New South Wales and New Zealand. She works as a lawyer at Gilbert +Tobin and is currently on secondment at an ASX-listed company. Lily is excited to be part of EWB and wants to use her skills and experience to support and accelerate EWB’s pursuits and endeavours.
Lily holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Property conjoint degree from the University of Auckland.

Peter brings to the table nine years of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) experience in conflict, emergency and development settings. His experience has accumulated between NGOs and international organisations, taking him to Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan (conflict and complex emergency), Nepal (earthquake), and Sierra Leone (Ebola), as well as the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu (water resilience).

Peter is a long-time EWB member, from the early rumblings of the Newcastle Chapter in 2006, to the Chapter’s President in 2008–2010, supporting the EWB challenge at Newcastle Uni, and remaining an active professional member since. In 2010, he took on a volunteer EWB placement alongside the Lama Lama Lands Council (LLLC) and the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CAT) in Cape York – a profoundly formative influence for his work and life – in particular yielding a much-increased appreciation for listening and learning in community with others. This ethos more than anything keeps him coming back to EWB as it goes about its bold, innovative, yet humble approach to its work.

Prior to the humanitarian sector, Peter worked in public water for four years at Hunter Water Australia, having gained his Bachelor of Engineering (Civil). He’s since completed a Masters of Peace & Conflict Studies (Sydney) and is delving into a PhD on experiences of water conflict in divided communities (Sydney; UEA).

He is currently Deputy Water and Habitat Coordinator for Iraq with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Kelsie is a System Engineer with an Australian Energy Company based in the Pilbara region of Australia, and has been an active Engineers Without Borders chapter member for seven years. Until recently, Kelsie was the EWB WA President.

Kelsie’s EWB journey started in 2011 when her team became NSW State Finalists in the EWB Challenge, which led to her being awarded the EWB Challenge scholarship. Kelsie has held numerous roles with EWB, including as a member of the Newcastle WASH team and the WA Corporate Galvanizer. She is intimate with EWB’s activities, having had the opportunity to participate in many programs such as Dialogues on Development Cambodia and as a facilitator of Leadership Rewired.

Kelsie is an advocate for EWB chapter members and is excited about the pathway that human-centred engineering offers in attracting a diverse range of people to engineering. She is actively involved with many diversity initiatives, including as a mentor in women in engineering programs and holding a Strategy and Planning role with her company’s gender diversity group. Kelsie won the Emerging Talent category of the Australia Subsea Business Awards in 2016 and was accepted on Homeward Bound 2019, a global leadership program for women in STEM.

Kelsie brings a dual outlook from the corporate sector combined with experience as a long-term EWB volunteer. Kelsie gained her Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Newcastle in 2014. She enjoys karaoke, photography, 4WDing and camping.

Professor Arun Kumar has over 50 years of international experience in civil engineering, project management, construction, research and education. Arun has worked with governments, communities and universities in Australia, the USA and India.

Arun’s international work as an adviser/consultant to the World Bank for over 20 years spans several countries (China, India, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Africa), engaging with communities and working on civil projects, training, sustainability and institutional strengthening. He is well conversant with the need for appropriate technology relevant to communities in developing countries. He has over 20 years of teaching experience, developing curriculum and reviewing degree programs as Professor, Head of School, at RMIT, and Professor at Queensland University of Technology.

He is an expert reviewer for curriculum, educational institution governance for Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), Australian Government. He has been a member of the Boards of Engineering and Board of Education of the Institution of Engineers Australia. He has been Chair of the Management Branch of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, and served as a member of several committees of the Institution. He is a fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia.

Arun is an Emeritus Professor at RMIT University and Editor-in-Chief, Infrastructure Asset Management Journal, Institution of Civil Engineers, UK.

A Chartered Chemical Engineer, Sonya has held advisory roles with the Australian Attorney General’s Office and DFAT, addressing issues of human trafficking and modern slavery in supply chains and the implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. She is currently a member of the Modern Slavery Expert Advisory Group with the Australian Department of Home Affairs. Sonya is also a Board Director of the Alliance for Water Stewardship and a member of the Royal Children’s Hospital Clinical Ethics Committee. Sonya joined Bunnings as Head of Sustainability and Community in early 2020, bringing with her extensive knowledge in the sustainability space gained from more than 20 years’ experience in retail, consumer goods and manufacturing industries. Specialising in stakeholder engagement, policy development and risk management, Sonya’s role sees her leading the growth of existing sustainability and community programs and finding new opportunities to drive positive long-term change across the business.

Alesha’s passion for engineering was discovered whilst volunteering in a remote Mongolia community, convincing her of the importance of engineering to provide equitable lives for all. Several years later, in 2005, she joined an ambitious new organisation  – Engineers Without Borders.

Alesha’s EWB journey has been career-defining. During her two-year term as Chapter president (2008/09) she was awarded Young Professional Engineer of the Year (2009) by Engineers Australia. Other significant leadership roles include past Victorian President of Engineers Australia (2018) and she is a current board member of the Industry Capability Network, Victoria.

She is a Chartered Professional Civil Engineer and her early career focused on the delivery of water infrastructure projects. Her current role as General Manager, Victoria at Engineers Australia provides a unique opportunity to positively impact the profession.

Alesha is committed to the engineering profession and working with EWB to influence and drive change in the sector. She believes that diversity, social inclusion and developing the capability of the profession to deliver great outcomes for the community and society at large is essential.