These are the words of Judith Kavelaars. She was recently appointed chair of the youth division of Koninklijke NLingenieurs and will also represent this division on the board of the professional association.

Her interest in the engineering profession was sparked at her secondary school, KSG De Breul in Zeist (city near Utrecht). ‘I had – surprise, surprise – a science package. The great thing is that theory and practice come together in civil engineering. Our world is largely determined by engineers.’

During her Civil Engineering studies at Technical University of Delft, Judith held several board positions, including at the U-BASE master's debating society, the International Association of Civil Engineering Students, and the faculty bar.

‘These extracurricular activities more or less came my way. I am naturally open to new adventures and enjoy informal networking. That also applies to the chairmanship of JongNLingenieurs.’

Her appointment is still fresh. Does Judith already have a clear idea of the items that will be on the youth department's agenda? Diversity and inclusion will certainly feature prominently.

‘It is important that every engineer feels at home in an organisation. This is especially true for young engineers who are part of a small minority. This is not only good for retaining talent, but also valuable because their – sometimes unique – perspectives can be incorporated into projects.’

Another hot topic is that young engineers apparently quickly switch professions to other fields such as consultancy, strategy development or finance. ‘I see this within my own circle too. Often, it’s the money or a challenging, international working environment that attracts them.’

‘Be that as it may, our profession is extremely socially relevant. After all, we work on major issues such as sustainable energy, the environment and clean water. It is precisely in these areas that engineering firms can play a crucial role.’