A Conversation with Georgie Shaw and Travis Ng
We are pleased to share a brief interview we did with Georgie Shaw and Travis Ng as leaders of two prominent emerging professionals’ groups in our Industry. Georgie is the Chair of ALGA’s Emerging Professionals Specialist Interest Group and Travis is the Chair of EIANZ NSW Division Students and Early Careers Committee (SECC).
To start off with, could you each share a bit about your career history leading up to your current roles in the sector?
Georgie: I’ve been working with Alliance for two years now as an Environmental Scientist working in contaminated land and waste management. I spend a lot of my time out on site getting to see new, interesting, and often dirty places! I enjoy hitting the road and meeting lots of interesting characters along the way. Prior to getting my first role within the environmental industry, I worked for five years as a meat slicer in the Woolies butcher shops! I enjoyed working with my hands and the creativity that came with it. Although not directly related to what I do now, it taught me the value of hard work and the importance of effective teamwork – skills that are beneficial in any career!
Travis: After a short stint as a research assistant at the University of Sydney, I somehow landed a graduate role at Environmental Earth Sciences. Working in a small but supportive team, I was lucky enough to learn about the entire project lifecycle early on, from tendering to invoicing. Today, at ADE Consulting, in addition to contaminated sites, I also get to work on major civil infrastructure projects through a lens of resource recovery and waste management. I think it’s cool, but my partner is probably sick of me telling her that ‘I singlehandedly built that!’ every time we drive by a metro station.
Georgie, what motivated you to raise your hand up to become the Chair of ALGA’s Emerging Professionals Specialist Interest Group?
Georgie: Initially I was extremely nervous to put my hand up for the role, I’ve never done anything like this before so jumping into a chairing position was pretty daunting. Luckily, I had some encouragement from my friends within the SIG and my mentors who always guide me in the right direction. I believe in seizing every opportunity, even if it means stepping out of my comfort zone, and I’m so glad I took the leap. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of such an outstanding group of people.
Travis, can you share a bit about your role at EIANZ and why you decided to lead the NSW Students and Early Careers Committee?
Travis: I first joined EIANZ as the sole NSW representative on the Institute-wide Students and Early Careers Committee (SECC) in 2023. The SECC had already introduced great initiatives, like travel grants for the EIANZ conference and an affordable membership tier—both of which I was lucky to benefit from. Today, I act as a general committee member on the NSW Committee and chair of the local NSW SECC, which I rebooted with the support of the NSW Committee. Since the NSW SECC was essentially defunct, my position as chair was more de facto than it was a decision.
I’d like to understand more about the purpose of emerging professionals groups you each lead, and what key initiative you’ve seen done well to support your members and what other activities might be in the pipeline.
Georgie: The Emerging Professionals Special Interest Group is dedicated to empowering up-and-coming industry talent by providing opportunities to enhance both their general and technical skills. We work to design engaging events that foster active involvement and encourage meaningful networking among their peers in the industry!
Our in-person events have been a resounding success. Our networking nights and panel discussions – featuring some of the industry’s most legendary figures – have consistently drawn enthusiastic crowds. ALGA’s support has paved the way for our participation in conferences, where we host sessions and activities specifically designed for emerging professionals. Since our very first networking event, we’ve seen a steady stream of familiar faces returning time and again. These approachable events, tailored for emerging professionals, offer a less intimidating alternative to more formal gatherings, opening the door to lasting engagement and ongoing industry connections.
We’re currently working with ALGA on creating a webinar and conference activities, keeping the momentum going has been incremental for continuing engagement.
Travis: The NSW SECC aims to provide real value to students and early-career professionals. We have the basics— career nights, networking events etc., but we’re working hard to diversify our offerings and maximise value for students and early career professionals. Currently, we’re concentrating on building a strong membership base to better understand what people want, and we’re focusing our attention on university/student outreach and building a sense of community amongst early career professionals.
Our annual mentoring program (open to everyone!) continues to be a huge success, and informal early professional-only meetups have proven to be extremely popular as a more relaxed environment for emerging professionals to socialise with their peers.
In the future, we’re looking forward to offering beginner-friendly ‘101’ sessions that can provide a better understanding of where each discipline fits amongst the many aspects of the environmental industry.
To close off, what key message would you like to share with our audience?
Georgie: Embrace every opportunity that comes your way. Reach out, volunteer, and actively participate in initiatives – your willingness to get involved will open doors to countless rewards.
Travis: Get involved, and remember that you’re not alone. You don’t have to volunteer, but it’s a good idea to stay engaged in some way. Whether it’s through networking events, mentoring programs, or technical seminars you may not fully understand, there’s no harm in putting yourself out there. I think there’s a lot of value in understanding where in the overall process you fit in, and it’s important to recognise that understanding how things work outside your discipline isn’t just for people who want to change careers. The environmental field is broad and always evolving, so staying curious means you’ll stay learning.