AECOM celebrates women’s achievements in STEM careers
“It’s a very inclusive place to work at,” comments Kim Timm (Pr Eng), Executive – Structures, Buildings and Places at AECOM. As South Africa pays tribute in August to the 20 000 women who bravely protested against pass laws in 1956, Kim reflects on the need for people to be free to follow the careers that appeal to them without fear of bias or judgement from friends, families or colleagues.
“All people bring different assets and approaches to their work. Often when you consider something from only one perspective, the decisions you make are biased and one-sided, despite all efforts to the contrary. With contrasting viewpoints, you can ensure that the decisions you ultimately make are more comprehensive,” stresses Kim.
Kim oversees technical quality at the Structures Department in AECOM’s Centurion office. A fair portion of her day is spent conducting design reviews and mentoring and guiding younger engineers. “Initially when I started working, there were very few women engineers,” she notes.
As such, contractors would seldom take her instructions seriously, and would typically repeat questions to the male engineers to confirm that her responses were indeed correct. While the industry in South Africa has evolved over the past 20 years, it can still be a challenge to be taken seriously as a woman in engineering.
Despite this, Kim highlights: “This is an amazing industry, with a lot to offer. It’s not the easiest industry for women to start out in, but once you are there, it is immensely rewarding and one where you can be part of the change you want to see.”
The South African Professional Services Awards (SAPSA), sponsored by Sanlam and W. Consulting, awarded Kim the title of Woman Professional of the Year for 2019/2020. She has a BSc Eng (Civ) from the University of Cape Town and a MSc Eng (Civ) from the University of Stellenbosch. Describing herself as an all-rounder, she has worked on both heavy and light industrial, retail, commercial and residential projects.
Kim was a finalist for the Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) Young Engineer of the Year Award in 2010. In 2019, she was recognised by CESA as Mentor of the Year. She recently co-authored two papers at an international conference in Nantes, France.
“I love seeing the passion and enthusiasm the candidates bring to the industry. It is highly rewarding to have the opportunity to help shape their careers and futures. They challenge me to reassess my own views and opinions, and our relationship becomes a partnership that we all learn from. If we support and encourage each other we can change the world,” concludes Kim.
Ends
Notes to the editor
To download hi-res images for this release, please visit http://media.ngage.co.za and click on the AECOM link to view the company’s press office.
About AECOM
AECOM is the world’s premier infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from planning, design and engineering to consulting and construction management. We partner with our clients in the public and private sectors to solve their most complex challenges and build legacies for generations to come. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, governments, energy and the environment, our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm with revenue of approximately $20.2 billion during fiscal year 2019. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM.
Media Contact
Renay Tandy
NGAGE Public Relations
Phone: (011) 867-7763
Fax: 086 512 3352
Cell: 082 562 5088
Email: renay [at] ngage [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.ngage.co.za
Browse the NGAGE Media Zone for more client press releases and photographs at http://media.ngage.co.za