Marlene Kanga to present at joint Chemeca and Hazards Australasia event

CHARTERED chemical engineer Marlene Kanga, who successfully campaigned for World Engineering Day, will present at the 51st Chemeca, held in conjunction with Hazards Australasia. She will speak at the events’ dinner, to be hosted by IChemE, in Melbourne, Australia.

In her speech, Chemical engineering: Our purpose and our imperatives for a safer, sustainable and just world, Kanga will encourage chemical and process safety engineers to focus not on just their technical abilities but also their personal responsibility as they lead the transition to a greener world.

Kanga has more than 30 years’ experience in process safety engineering in Australia and New Zealand, including for water, aviation, regulation, and artificial intelligence services. She also chairs IChemE’s Safety Centre and Major Hazards Committee.

She was the first chemical engineer to hold the position of President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, from 2017–2019. During her time in the role she campaigned for a global engineering day. World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, which occurs annually on 4 March, was first held in 2020.

In June, Kanga was recognised with an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her distinguished services to engineering, particularly as a global leader and role model to women, professional organisations, and business.

Kanga, an Honorary Fellow of IChemE, said:

“Chemical and process safety engineers are in the hot seat as we develop and implement the new technologies required for the energy transition and other transformations for a sustainable future. The conferences are a timely opportunity to engage with academia, industry, and across career levels, to share knowledge and experiences as we adapt to the new global goals.”

For the first time and to mark IChemE’s centenary year, Chemeca is being held in conjunction with Hazards Australasia from 25­–27 September at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre – meaning attendees gain two conferences for the price of one.

At Hazards Australasia, delegates can learn about how to improve process safety practices in uncertain times, including sustained pressures and strains to workforces from the Covid-19 pandemic and Australian bush fires. Chemeca will allow delegates to gain further knowledge through the sharing of engineering research and innovations helping to make a greener, safer, cleaner future.

New to Chemeca this year is a panel discussion on the next 100 years of chemical engineering and a Hackathon competition. Five teams of students from Australian universities have made it to the final stage of the contest and will pitch their net zero carbon fuel infrastructure solutions to a panel of industry experts at the conference.

Energy expert Rachelle Doyle will open both conferences, delivering a presentation on the ability to use process safety lessons to deliver a safe energy transition. She is Manager of Research and Development at Rio Tinto, Australia and Chair of the ME-093 Hydrogen Technologies Committee for Standards Australia.

Doyle has 20 years’ experience in understanding and applying new technology and science to deliver sustainable, commercial operations through various technical and leadership roles in the Australian energy and minerals processing sectors.

View the full programmes and register for the conferences via the Chemeca or IChemE websites.