Chemical and Process Engineering

  • Technologist

    Ian Laing

    Technologist, Ian Laing at work

    Project Manager

    Eleanor Grant (née Marks)

    Project Manager, Eleanor Grant (née Marks) at work

    Process Engineer

    Adrian Lysaght

    Process Engineer, Adrian Lysaght at work

    Process Technologist

    Ola Al Hassani

    Process Technologist, Ola Al Hassani at work
  • Chemical and Process Engineer

    Kevin Yun

    Chemical and Process Engineer, Kevin Yun at work

    Process Engineer

    Sophie Kennedy

    Process Engineer, Sophie Kennedy at work

    Process Engineer

    Nasreen Soloman

    Process Engineer, Nasreen Soloman at work

    Bioprocess Engineer

    Guy Waters

    Bioprocess Engineer, Guy Waters at work
  • Process Engineer

    Scott Russell

    Process Engineer, Scott Russell at work

    Senior Process Engineer

    Kuteiba Hussein

    Senior Process Engineer, Kuteiba Hussein at work

    Operations Engineer

    Su'ad Barakat

    Operations Engineer, Su'ad Barakat at work

    Director

    Chris Beh

    Director, Chris Beh at work
  • Process Technologist

    Natalie Hamilton

    Process Technologist, Natalie Hamilton at work

    Project engineer

    Ross Milne

    Project engineer, Ross Milne at work

    Process Technologist

    Ben Foote

    Process Technologist, Ben Foote at work

    Process Engineer

    Claire Kitson

    Process Engineer, Claire Kitson at work
  • Process Engineer

    Alex Simmonds

    Process Engineer, Alex Simmonds at work

    Packaging Technologist

    Isabel Beattie

    Packaging Technologist , Isabel Beattie at work

    Chemical Engineer

    Matthew Willard

    Chemical Engineer, Matthew Willard at work

    Process Engineer

    Jenny Chang

    Process Engineer, Jenny Chang at work
  • Senior Engineering Specialist

    Dean Barker

    Senior Engineering Specialist, Dean Barker at work

    Production Engineer

    Jennifer Randall (née Dean)

    Production Engineer, Jennifer Randall (née Dean) at work

    Lead Process Technician

    Dayna Williams

    Lead Process Technician, Dayna Williams at work

    Risk Engineer

    Ahmed Kaderdina

    Risk Engineer, Ahmed Kaderdina at work
  • Chemical Process Engineer

    Alastair Lee

    Chemical Process Engineer, Alastair Lee at work

    Process Engineer

    Andrew Torrens

    Process Engineer, Andrew Torrens at work

    Graduate Process Engineer

    Ali Mohammadi Shiwehkash

    Graduate Process Engineer, Ali Mohammadi Shiwehkash  at work

    Corrosion Engineer

    Rosalind Julian

    Corrosion Engineer, Rosalind Julian at work
  • Engineering Trainee

    Daniel Leong

    Engineering Trainee, Daniel Leong at work

    Water Maintenance Engineer

    Josaphatt Ip

    Water Maintenance Engineer, Josaphatt Ip at work

    Process Engineer

    Jay Roy

    Process Engineer, Jay Roy at work

    Technical Account Manager

    Craig Ayres

    Technical Account Manager, Craig Ayres at work
  • Refinery Process Coordinator

    Tony Vranjes

    Refinery Process Coordinator, Tony Vranjes at work

    Process Design Engineer

    Jared Mayes

    Process Design Engineer, Jared Mayes at work

    Environmental Process Engineer

    Helen Ecroyd

    Environmental Process Engineer, Helen Ecroyd at work

    Engineer

    Claire Deutsch

    Engineer, Claire Deutsch at work
  • Chemical Engineer

    Kevin Loh

    Chemical Engineer, Kevin Loh at work

    Process Engineer

    Kenny Liew

    Process Engineer, Kenny Liew at work

    Food Technologist

    Caroline Stockley

    Food Technologist, Caroline Stockley at work

    Materials Handling Systems Engineer

    Richard Mahoney

    Materials Handling Systems Engineer, Richard Mahoney at work

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Operations Engineer

Operations Engineer

Su'ad Barakat, Fonterra

Earning: $49-55,000
In a nutshell: Finding ways to make milk processing plants more efficient.
Why? “I can make people’s jobs easier.”

Pathway: Macleans College, Year 13: Statistics, Classical Studies, Physics, Chemistry, Biology
University of Auckland: Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) majoring in Chemical and Materials Engineering
Massey University:  Masters in Dairy Technology

Su’ad Barakat chose a career that combines the theoretical with the practical.  “I wanted to study science at university, but I wanted to be able to apply what I learnt and be hands-on, both at university and in my career. Engineering was the way to do that for me.”

Su’ad decided she wanted to work in the food industry after getting some experience with process engineering. After completing her degree and summer work in the industry, she took a graduate position dealing with operations in Fonterra milk processing plants.

“So far I’ve been given the opportunity to work on improvement projects. These begin with a business case, where a potential improvement in our products or processes has been identified by me or another employee.”

A current project focuses on bottling milk with as little waste as possible. “We always slightly overfill the bottle to ensure the customer gets their litre of milk, so I have been using a statistical analysis to get an accurate fill, rather than a slight overfill which is a cost to the company.”

To find a solution to such problems, Su’ad does a cost analysis, gathers data about the possibility and interacts with the production team. Then she manages implementation of that solution to make sure it works in the long term.

“There is no routine to my job, which is very appealing to me. One day I’ll be completing a task on my own, another day I’ll be working in a team. I am constantly problem solving and trying to find more efficient ways of doing things.”

It helps to have an analytical mind that is always on the lookout for potential problems. She also has to be a ‘people person’ and be able work with everyone from maintenance engineers to managers.

“I find working with the operators most rewarding. When my project makes their work easier and gives them more information about the process they are operating, I feel like I have succeeded.”

Posted May 2012


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