Dr Marlene Kanga
President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations
Dr Marlene Kanga AO is an outstanding leader of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) organisations in Australia and internationally, and an Officer of the Order of Australia, a national honor, “for distinguished service to engineering, as a global leader and role model to women”
A chemical engineer, Dr Kanga is the former President (2017-2019), World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), with 100+ national/continental members, representing 30+ million engineers. She was 2013 National President, Engineers Australia.
As WFEO President, she successfully led the proposal for UNESCO to declare 4th March as World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development. She led the review of the international engineering education benchmarks, ensuring future engineers have the skills to advance the UN SDGs. She is supports capacity-building in engineering in Africa and Asia established and leads the WFEO Academy for ongoing training of engineers.
Dr Kanga is Co-Chair of the Elevate program to support the careers of women in STEM in Australia. A champion for diversity in STEM, as WFEO President, Dr Kanga ensured that women gained greater visibility and participation. A former Vice President of the International Network for Women Engineers and Scientists, she hosted its inaugural Asia Pacific Nation Network meeting in 2011 that has grown successfully to 19 organisations in Asia.
Dr Kanga is a non-executive director of large organisations in Australia in transport, utilities and innovation. She is listed among the Top 100 Women of Influence and one of the Top 10 women engineers in Australia.