WOMEN IN INDUSTRY AWARDS

Challenge accepted

IT WAS A COMPETITIVE NATURE THAT LED NOELLE PARLIER TO STUDY ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AT UNIVERSITY. NOW SHE HEADS UP A TEAM OF MORE THAN 120 ENGINEERS FOR ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST RECOGNISED TRUCK MANUFACTURERS. THE 2021 WOMEN IN INDUSTRY AWARDS FINALIST SHARES HER JOURNEY.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, the chief engineer of PACCAR Australia, Noelle Parlier, says the “taboo of engineering being a male-dominated field” first drew her interest. That, and wanting to do one better than her older sister.

With a passion for maths and science, and based on her college test results, studying engineering “seemed like a good choice”. But it wasn’t until her university placement interview at Seattle University, USA, she decided on a double major in electrical engineering and physics.

“My sister was studying mechanical engineering. When I was interviewed by the university for my placement, they asked me what I was interested in, and I asked them: ‘What is more challenging than mechanical engineering?’,” Noelle says.

“They said electrical engineering and so that’s what I chose. I was very lucky in that I absolutely loved the subject. It was at a time when computer engineering was just starting to become a discipline.

“I feel like the taboo of engineering being a male-dominated field drew my interest. I wanted to prove that I could be successful in the field, regardless of my gender.

“In reality, I have benefited from the diversity of thought and experiences I have had growing up and studying in a male-dominated field and now a maledominated industry.”

Originally from Kirkland, Washington, home of the Kenworth Trucks Company in the USA, it seems a natural transition from study to sign on with PACCAR, among the largest manufacturers of medium- and heavyduty trucks in the world. Noelle’s been there as the industry has undergone huge technological growth.

“When I started, the common phrase was the truck industry is about 10-15 years behind the automobile industry,” she says. “The expectations were that new technology had to be proven and

Noelle Parlier is a finalist in the Women In Industry, excellence in manufacturing award.

“I feel like the taboo of engineering being a male-dominated field drew my interest. I wanted to prove that I could be successful in the field, regardless of my gender. In reality, I have benefited from the diversity of thought and experiences I have had growing up and studying in a male-dominated field and now a male-dominated industry.”

Noelle Parlier, 2021 Women In Industry Awards finalist

reliable before it went on a truck. Now the expectation seems to have shifted to: ‘I can have it on my car, why isn’t it available on my truck?’

“The amount of electronics and software that are on our trucks has increased significantly. Five years ago, we would have had 80 per cent mechanical engineers and 20 per cent electrical engineers. Now we are pushing towards one third mechanical, one third electrical, and one third embedded or software engineers. With alternative powertrains, advanced safety systems, driverless vehicles, the opportunities and challenges are endless. It’s a very exciting and challenging time to be in engineering.”

Noelle has been with PACCAR for 16 years, the past three in Australia as chief engineer, responsible for leading the team of engineers designing Kenworth and DAF trucks. At PACCAR Australia, she has been pivotal in the development, design, manufacture, and launch of several new products.

She says after travelling the world with PACCAR, the opportunity to take on the chief engineer role, and the lure of Australia’s great outdoors, were too great to pass up.

Noelle, husband Chris and sons Oakley and Finnley have “fully assimilated to the Aussie lifestyle”. While COVID-19 lockdowns have put a hold on the family ticking off its Aussie bucket list, Chris has coached his son’s under-11 AFL team this year, and Noelle won the Auskick mum’s longest kick competition for Chirnside Park. “It’s my latest claim to fame,” she says. “My son was so proud of me.”

Motherhood, Noelle says, and its complexities are one of the biggest career challenges she’s faced.

“I didn’t realise how torn I would feel working with a young child. Mother guilt is a real and powerful thing,” she says.

“For the first year or so – I felt like I wasn’t being successful with the balance – devoting enough time and energy to either piece of myself.

“I had to mentally compartmentalise, for my sanity as much as anything – I needed to be the best employee when I’m on the clock for the business, and when I’m home – I need to be the best wife and mother that I can be.”

However, she doesn’t hesitate when asked if she would encourage other women to consider a career in engineering.

“I would say go for it – 100 per cent. I have had the best experience in this field and in this industry,” she says. “We need diversity of thought and experience. Engineering is about solving problems creatively, and that’s what I enjoy about my job the most – the creative aspect.”

Noelle’s passion for her work is palpable but it goes beyond the manufacturing floor. She has a truck licence and has gone on many overnight drives, both in the US and in Australia. She has a respect for drivers and their passion for PACCAR’s product.

“Our customers use our products to feed their families and to build their legacies – to be a small part of that is so rewarding and fulfilling,” she says.

“My goal is to do whatever I can to make their life and job a little easier, a lot safer, more enjoyable. I think the biggest challenge I have seen in the industry in the past few years is the lack of acknowledgement, thanks, and respect that truck drivers receive on a day-to-day basis. They are highly skilled professionals, operating complex equipment and it is very true – without truck drivers – Australia would be in a world of hurt.

“Anything I can do to make a driver’s life easier; I’m going to do it. That is the end goal. I want drivers to want to be in the products I design – or else I’m losing. I hate to lose.”

The Women in Industry Awards will be announced on 7 April, 2022. For more information visit: www.womeninindustry.com.au