Julie Raine left school at the age of 16 with basic qualifications. 

A youth training scheme placement in the office of a mining company in her native Yorkshire led to an opportunity to work in the technical drawing office which in turn led her to pursue a degree in engineering, even though she had no idea what engineering was when she signed up to do the course. She just wanted to develop her technical drawing skills and knowledge.

It took Julie 12 years to get her degree while working full-time and coping with the sexism that was rife in the industry at the time.

30 years on and after a stint in the Middle East working on some high-profile construction projects, Julie moved to New Zealand where she runs her own engineering consultancy company managing multi-million tenders and bids.

She also started Industry Ready, a not-for-profit organisation aimed at improving diversity in the industry which led to her being nominated for a Westpac Women of Influence award in 2016 and 2020.

Julie chats about the challenges she's had to overcome and why asking questions and challenging the status quo is so important.