Pooja Haria: engineering the future

AusIMM is proud to partner with like-minded organisations sharing our commitment to support women in their careers. As part of our International Women’s Day Event Series, we showcased inspiring stories from our sector, and initiatives that are making careers in mining a reality for women around the world.

Pooja Haria is Rio Tinto’s star Mechanical Reliability Engineer and is helping inspire other young women in science, technology and resources.

Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, Pooja speaks four languages (English, Gujarati, Hindi and Swahili) and was supported by her community to move to Melbourne in 2013 to pursue her studies.

‘Pooja has continued to develop her love for mechanical engineering and enjoys working with a passionate group of industry professionals.’

In 2016, Pooja was the only woman to graduate Victoria University (VU) with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical Engineering). During her time at VU, Pooja helped facilitate a VU high school program that encourages young women to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

At Rio Tinto, Pooja has continued to develop her love for mechanical engineering and enjoys working with a passionate group of industry professionals. She began her career at Rio Tinto as a Graduate Mechanical Engineer before progressing to her current role as Mechanical Reliability Engineer.

Rio Tinto was a Strategic Partner of AusIMM’s International Women’s Day Event Series, hosted across six Australian Capital cities from 2-6 March 2020. Find out more at iwd.ausimm.com.