Winner: People’s Choice Award

Sravani initially had to convince her own family in India to let her pursue a career in mechanical engineering but her decision to become the first-generation college graduate has led to a rich and varied career in mining and resources in Australia. In her current role at RIG Technologies International, Sravani has played a key role in the sustainability and commercialisation of one of the world-first piece of technology – drillMAX – that is delivering geophysics data and considerably increased efficiencies for customers in downhole data delivery, and another, drillGEO, which will provide customers improved access to high-quality data, essentially in real-time. Sravani is regarded as a role model at RIG Technologies for younger staff and in previous roles has championed the growth of women leaders in the mining and resources sector.

She acts as a mentor for early career engineers and also advocates for girls’ education, particularly in STEM subjects. A mother-of-two, Sravani strives to achieve work-life balance while fulfilling a management role and credits the combination of family life and a busy career with providing skills that she could not have gained from formal training.