Women in BIM virtual event by Modena

Devaksha Maharaj is founding member of Ikigai Engineering. Ikigai Engineering is multifaceted focusing on: Management Consulting; Renewable Energy Technologies; Electrical Maintenance Services; Training & Development; Science, Technology, Engineering; Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Education for children. She graduated with a BSc. (Hons) in Electrical Engineering from the University of KwaZulu Natal (former University of Natal) in 2008. Her career started off Camden Power Station in Ermelo thereafter she moved to Samancor Chrome to work at Middelburg Ferrochrome. She left as the Electrical Specialist when she left to join IST OTOKON as Business Development Engineer. After obtaining her registration as Professional Engineer, she then moved into the consulting environments where she held short-term contracts with Energy Cybernetics, Brolaz Energy and Energy Ensight. She founded Ikigai Engineering in 2018 after resigning from Rittal SA She joined the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) as a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) in 2012 and in 2017 and 2018 as a Certified Measurement and Verification Professional and Certified Energy Auditor respectively. In 2020 she was accredited as an Ecodistricts Professional and with the Green Building Council of South Africa as Green Star Rated Accredited Professional. Devaksha serves on the ECSA panel as an Accreditor Assessor for the tertiary engineering programmes. She is also a panellist for SANEDI for the 12L Tax Incentive programme. Devaksha has extensive experience in the energy sector and written several articles for online publications, presented at the South African Energy Efficiency Conference in 2018 and Power and Electricity Africa in April 2019, Ghana Green Building Summit, Woman In Energy for Department of Minerals, Energy & Resources; She was also chosen to represent South Africa at the BRICS Youth Energy Agency’s Summit in October 2020 and the SDG’s Forum in December 2020 Been passionate about educating young children she founded and runs a programme called IKI KIDS which focuses on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) education to the local schools currently focusing on 2-5 year olds. This programme has since branched out into a separate entity and has included Robotics and Coding for 4 to 14 years old.

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I have a passion for all things creative and sustainable. I'm a graphic designer in BIM (Building Information Modelling). Both industries rely on organizing and communicating information in a structured was, a perfect match for my passions. In 2007, I completed a BA degree in Information Design from the University of Pretoria. In February the following year I embarked on a new career as a Consultant for Lerumo, working as a system administrator for a Stanbic network expansion project in Lagos, Nigeria. I gained valuable experience in the field of Information Management by working on roll-out projects for SAPO, implementing IMS for Stanbic Bank Zambia in Lusaka and managing and training IMS users to fulfill the supply chain demand. After training in Autodesk Revit Architecture and Revit MEP, I found my niche in training and implementation of BIM technologies such as Revit and BIM360. I am an Autodesk Certified Instructor and Certified Professional in Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and AutoCAD. Home is a small permaculture organic farm just outside Malmesbury, Western Cape, from where I work as an Applications Engineer at Modena. I love family time, cooking from our garden (with our free-range eggs), sewing, beach days and travelling. I specialize in: Helping customers adopt new technology solutions through training in Autodesk Revit; Realizing the optimization of your business with discovery workshops, BIM implementation, content creation and customized training; Assisting customers to transform the way they do business with BIM360 cloud services, BIM coordination and project assistance.

Anria Erasmus

Autodesk Certified Instructor and Build Application Engineer | Modena Cape Town

I am a huge fan of progress and growth. I am a believer in change, besides, if you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always had. I have a huge passion for helping people be better at what they do and I enjoy the challenge of creating systems and processes that help them get there. This is why I stepped out of my career as a Professional Architect into an industry that supports forward-thinking, teamwork and growth. Right now, I use my knowledge of Architecture and the Construction industry to help various AEC Professionals move forward in their day-to-day business. I help train and implement the necessary software and workflows needed for the future of their building projects, as well as their businesses, while keeping up with global trends and the latest technologies. The future of construction is exciting and I feel incredibly privileged to be part of the global vision for the construction industry. Change is inevitable, but Growth is optional! Revit Specialist Services: Content Creation; Accompanying Sales Representatives as a Technical Specialist; Revit Technical Support; Implementation of Architectural Solutions; Continuous learning in the Autodesk Suite of Building Solutions; AEC Software Installations and Licence Management; Software presentations and live technical demonstrations

Tammy Venter

AEC Applications Engineer & BIM Consultant | Modena Durban

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Technical Design Lead and BIM-Coordinator at Tétris South Africa. I have been working in the Interior Design industry for the last 15 years, prior to which I learned my fundamentals of design and creating 3d models in the Manufacturing and Engineering industry. Current responsibilities I manage the flow of information between the designers, technical and creative alike. It is my responsibility to keep the output of information from the design studio to a high standard. I am a hands on leader, I like to think that I don’t tell people what to do but rather show them, we work together on projects with each day being a teaching opportunity. Over the last 5 years I have developed a customized Revit Template to produce accurate and detailed information for the Interior Design Discipline. Our Template not only produces construction drawings but generates outputs that our QS and Procurement teams can trust. This Template is now being released to our EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region. I have Collaborated on multinational projects with Design Teams across the EMEA region as well as with Clients spread all over the world. I am an advocate for Autodesk BIM 360 Docs which allows for ‘one source of Truth’ with all members of a project team being able to collaborate on one ‘model’ at the same time. I am passionate about all things BIM…….what is BIM and how is it going to help me and my team

Rachel Andrews

Lead Designer | Tetris

Janine Strachan specialises in identifying best practices and methodologies for integrating BIM into everyday workflows. Janine develops and oversees BIM/Revit Workflows and Standards. Her role as BIM Specialist included continuous staff development, user and project-based support, maintaining Revit templates and content libraries and overseeing the implementation of BIM workflows on projects. Skilled in emerging software/application options forming the future of BIM, she is a proven leader in the best practices and methodology for integrating technology into everyday workflows for the AEC industry. Starting with (3D) coordination to generating (4D) schedules and (5D) quantities from models, Janine has delved deep into the BIM process. In addition, she had the opportunity to share this knowledge with audiences and publications across South Africa as a speaker at the 3rd Building Information Modelling in Africa Conference 2018. Her topic was focused around “Learning on the job – BIM is the way, but how?”, a presentation which resonated with delegates. Her article, “Learning BIM on the job”, was published in the June 2018 issue of Position IT Magazine.

Janine Strachan

Senior BIM Specialist | Worley

I am currently a Lead Technical Designer at dsgn™ working in Revit. My focus is on hospitality projects, but I have also a background in corporate design. I have a Master’s degree in Interior Architecture from the University of Pretoria, where my initial exploration into BIM and Revit began. During my first job, I was part of an office migration from AutoCAD to Revit with assistance from Modena. I have never looked back. I am very passionate about the possibilities that BIM affords our industry, although it has some challenges which I specifically face in the Interior design discipline. It is my aim to create a system in Revit for our interior designs to fit seamlessly into the larger environment of external projects and allowing full collaboration of spaces and information.

Anneke Hilder

Lead Technical Designer | DSGN

I am a trained and experienced Digital Modeler, who has spent more than a decade at numerous consulting Engineering companies within Cape Town. I have gained experience ranging from draughting and site inspection to 3D modelling, BIM management and Project management. Having worked on both local and international projects I am able to work independently and as part of a project-based team. I am also a registered member of the South African Draughting Institute (SAID) and as well as SACAP. Added to my experience, I was also employed as a BIM Specialist, where I focused on providing clients with solutions to improve their workflow from concept right through to construction. I have provided training, support and BIM Implementation for Autodesk software at various companies within the AEC environment. Academically, I obtained a National Diploma in Management from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and am currently pursuing a Degree in Law, part-time. Outside of the digital world, I am a mom to a 6-year-old boy, and I enjoy painting, yoga and anything that lets my creative spirit flow.

Feroza Mobara

BIM Consultant | Zutari

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