Margaret Chege
Senior Project Manager
Career snapshot
I stumbled into a career in the gas industry after completing a degree in media and cultural studies and struggling to get employment in media. I approached an agency to explore an alternative career path. They secured a casual administration role for me at Alinta. I eventually secured a permanent role as the Receptionist where I was exposed people across the business and industry.
While on reception, I was approached by a Manager that saw potential for me to become a Project Manager. He invited me to attend a three-week mentoring program which he was running that was aimed at giving prospective PMs a taste of Project Management in the outside world then an insight into how we manage projects at Jemena. This sparked an interest for me and after a 3 month secondment, I applied for a vacancy for a permanent role as a Project Manager and was successful.
My project management role transitioned across to Zinfra around four years ago. I have worked on a range of projects from asset relocation projects and the metering program to capacity projects. I am adverse to monotony and like a challenge and my career in the gas company has provided me with challenges that keep me engaged and also kept me in the company for so long. There is always something new to learn and a new challenge to overcome.
Working at Zinfra
The best part of working at Zinfra is the flexible working environment, this has been fantastic especially since the norms of being in the office dissipated during the pandemic. I am a morning person, so I tend to start work early so that I can have my afternoon free for things that I like to do, such as woodwork or kite-surfing. I also really value the freedom to manage my workload without being micro-managed.
I’m incredibly lucky to work in a team where we all feel appreciated for our contribution. I have made incredible friends in the business which extends into life outside of work. It gives a whole new meaning to ‘work family’ because that is what I have found with my colleagues. I also look forward to the office days where I can catch up face-to-face.
Diversity and inclusion
I can see the shift towards a focus on diversity and inclusion. When I first joined the projects team, I was the only female in my team where I started in an unequal playing field in terms of opportunities and pay. The turning point was having a Manager who put in the effort and continues to put in the effort to make changes that ensured equity as well as finding growth opportunities for his team respective of gender.
We always joke that our team is the United Nations, with representation from most continents! Having diversity across the team helps to promote acceptance and change the culture over time. We still have a long way to go as a business but we are making positive progress. I look forward to seeing more women and a diversity of women in leadership positions.
Career opportunities
Across Zinfra, there are various parts of the business willing to give people a go. It’s not just about the trade or degree you might have. In my experience, I have put my hand up for secondment or new opportunities, while I might not have been successful in all, I have been given the opportunity in most instances to stretch, grow and learn within the business.
