Mr. Mustafa El Cherkawi, Qatar Chapter President, Civil Engineer at Qetaifan Projects & AECOM and high achiever passionate engineer.
Mustafa completed his Diploma of Science & Engineering with distinction at UTS:INSEARCH, then graduated in Engineering with honors from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) & Masters from the University of Sydney (USYD). He worked in Sydney for few years before coming to Qatar in 2015 working on mega projects.
1. When did you first know you want to be an engineer?
I chose the engineering course because of my passion, my parental influence and my interest to have prestigious career.
My Passion: engineering has always been my passion and I have an interest in designing and building big things that benefit the community. I believe that civil engineers play a key role in building civilizations, shaping and developing our society. It is a well-respected profession, it is a discipline which plays a key role in society's infrastructure.
My Parental Influence: my father works in the construction field in Lebanon and as a Middle Eastern youth, parents have influence over choices because they think they know what is best for us. This worked great for me, I think you need to consider your parents’ opinion who might have some great suggestions but put your interests and passion first.
Socioeconomic Status (SES): I always dreamed of working in a prestigious field such as engineering. I wanted to pursue high profile degree which is well respected by society. Civil engineering is one of the highest paid in the engineering field. Civil engineers are the best recognized engineers because of their contributions in building huge dams, bridges, ports, airports and railways.
2. What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
The best advice I ever received was when I left my home country Lebanon and traveled to Australia seeking education, career development and better life. My parents advised to never lower my standards, retain my values and always aim the best. They told me that honesty, integrity and hard work is the key to success and achieving professional and personal goals in life. I always believed that challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes them meaningful. We all learn lessons as we make our way through life and work.
Studying in Australia and working in Qatar has been the biggest eye opener in my life, it set me up with a global mindset. Australia is very multicultural country that taught me respect for all people, care for environment, being open and honest. Qatar taught me business engagement and being a professional working internationally.
I followed my parents advice during my academic and professional life. I worked hard and smart and became a high achieving engineer. I was on the merit list, I was nominated as the best international student in NSW, I was awarded Chartered status, I took part in many volunteering activities that serve the community and much more. I am very satisfied with my parents advice and my achievements and I am targeting more in the near future.
3. What are your top two career highlights?
First Highlight: working for Qetaifan Projects and AECOM. Qetaifan Projects is a real estate development company which is fully owned by Katara Hospitality, a leading global hotel owner, developer and operator based in Qatar. AECOM is a very reputable engineering consultancy firm on an international level.
Currently I am working on a mega project at Qetaifan Island North in Lusail City - Qatar. The project features an aqua park, a linear park, a beach club, and luxurious hotels, it will be a fan zone during the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosted in Qatar. With AECOM I worked on a mega project called Doha Oasis, a $2 Billion USD mixed use development, which features a 7 star high-rise hotel tower, indoor theme park, retail complex, residential buildings and carpark basements. I am very proud of being involved in the construction and delivery of the world's largest indoor roller coaster which will feature in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Both projects are milestones and landmarks for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup preparations. They are magnificent and prestigious projects with enormous public benefit.
Second Highlight: currently I am the president of Engineers Australia - Qatar Chapter, I am leading a team of 12 highly dynamic engineers with a view to growing our activities by engaging with industry and greater community. I am involved in many social activities, technical talks and competitions which attract the engineering professionals and community members. In support of Qatar Sustainability Week I did arrange a bridge building competition which was covered by Qatar TV. Moreover, this year I conducted a dome building competition which was sponsored by Qatar University and Qatar Green Building Council. Giving to the community and improving the quality of life of others makes me happy, gives me a sense of purpose, helps me stay physically healthy, improves my mental health, increases my self-confidence and reduces my stress, anger and anxiety.
4. How does being chartered assist in your career?
Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) is a title with international recognition that carries great prestige all over the world and is a badge of excellence, it provides me with a sense of leadership and capability. Being a chartered engineer shows that I am capable and trusted. Being chartered has guided my direction in giving back to the community and profession, it gave me a competitive advantage.
5. What advice do you have for graduate engineers?
Find a Mentor: ensure that you listen and chat to experienced engineers. Find someone (Family member, senior colleague or a friend) who inspires, guides and pushes you to be your best and help keep your career on the right path.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Volunteering: be proactive, believe in yourself and spend time working on the quality of your life. Giving to the community and focusing on someone other than yourself gives you positive feelings, such as optimism and joy. Understanding your community can help foster empathy, which is a skill everyone should strive to improve.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD): never cease to learn new skills. Be enthusiastic, energetic and recognize your duty as a successful engineer. Keep up with trends in your own discipline and in adjacent disciplines to build a unique charisma. You need to be proactive, make friends from different backgrounds, build your network and learn how to manage people. You need to step outside your comfort zone and have a global mind-set.
Be Curious and Enthusiastic: if something is not clear, ask about it. The more you ask the more you know. Learn to ask questions and actively listen to the answers. This extends your comfort zone and helps you to grow. The power of simple questions is amazing. Don’t be ashamed, you may uncover something new.
Maintain Your Core Values: engineering is all about respect for people, delivering quality, caring for the environment, being open, honest, sharing information and knowledge. It is vital to maintain your own integrity throughout your career knowing you will be operating under different circumstances. You must ensure you do not compromise the quality of your work because that could impact your surroundings.
6. How has the profession changed over your career?
I am not old enough to answer this question, but I can say there has been many changes with the digital evolution, artificial intelligence, sustainable development and safety awareness.
Digital Evolution (DEVO): the profession has become dynamic enough that work practices can be done remotely. Information can be accessed and transferred freely and quickly (i.e. WhatsApp, emails, social media, and iClouds). Moreover, stakeholders can communicate and coordinate faster and easier. This has provided greater flexibility in working hours and environment e.g working from home and workstations becoming hot desks.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Tech World: artificial intelligence has its own superior, traditional methods for modeling and optimizing complex structure systems that require huge amounts of computing resources. Artificial-Intelligence-based solutions can often provide valuable alternatives for efficiently solving problems in the civil engineering, capable machines are replacing the human brain and manual work as well as improving the progress and productivity at construction sites.
Sustainable Development: we have seen a stronger focus on sustainability from the profession, starting with energy conservation, to redesigning office environments to meet today’s business requirements, to the early involvement of operators and maintainers in the concept design of new facilities/mega structures through to execution of projects to deliver sustainable economic and social improvements.
Safety Awareness For Everyone (SAFE): a safety culture has become an organisational culture that places a high level of importance on safety, beliefs, values and attitudes. These are shared by the majority of stakeholders within any construction site, company or workplace. A positive safety culture, providing the required training and induction to all involved workers can result in improved workplace health and safety as well as organisational performance.
7. Who (living or dead) would you like to sit next to on a plane and why?
I would like to be seated next to Dr. Ahmed Zewail who was the first Egyptian and the first Arab to win a Nobel Prize for science (Chemistry Award in 1999). He has a lot of qualities that make him a great leader and role model for many Middle Eastern youth in the unstable Arab region. He was a respected professor of chemistry and physics, he was known for spreading his knowledge in every way he could, and he made it his mission to inspire.
Dr. Ahmed Zewail was not a businessman or money seeker, he is a figure that inspired us all in so many ways and inspired a whole generation of education and science in the Arab world. One can think having so much influence could make a person ignorant and self-centered, but he is a humanitarian who cares about people and shows empathy. He is not only working towards his personal goal but a goal for the public. He established the Zewail City of Science and Technology which is a nonprofit, independent institution of learning, research and innovation.
I have read many articles about him. He always has a great story to tell about his own success by linking education and knowledge with politics and democracy. The dream of his family was for him to be an educated person, his neighborhood mosque was a place of worship and a place to study science with his high school friends. He believed that investing in science education and curiosity (research) is investing in the future. He believed that science was and still is the core of progress for humanity as well as being important for the continuity of civilization and that having influence is more important than having power because influence builds institutions of independence and democracy, to regain the Middle East prestige in education and science and technology.
On a final note, when asked about rumors that he might contest the 2011 Egyptian presidential election, Ahmed Zewail said: "I am a frank man, I have no political ambition, I only want to serve Egypt in the field of science and die as a scientist." I would like to see myself as his protégé by following some of his footsteps on the contributions he made to the humanity, scientific research and profession.
8. What was the most recent thing you have done to promote the profession of engineering?
I have been conducting voluntary activities with Engineers Australia-Qatar since 2015. This year, I have taken on the role of President for the Engineers Australia Qatar Chapter. In leading a dynamic and motivated team of 12 members, we have been looking to pursue opportunities by building greater relationships with different areas of society including similar non-profit institutions, industry organizations and the community.
Our objective is to further drive the benefits of engineering and how Engineers Australia can support, develop and enhance the engineering profession and the wider community in Qatar. We are coordinating with many local institutions like Qatar University (QU), Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) Qatar Society of Engineers (QSE) and Qatar National Library (QNL) to promote the engineering profession. Every engineer should complete good deeds and have social responsibility. As part of Qatar Sustainability week, we carried out the Bridge Building Competition (2017) and Dome Building Competition (2018) which are the first of its kind in Qatar. Moreover, we conduct many technical talks about sustainability, digital evolution, safety, rail, women in engineering and many other topics. We arranged visits to different sites in Qatar to share experiences and knowledge. In addition to that, we participated in many clean-ups to raise awareness of environmental issues.
Engineering has a direct impact on every aspect of daily life. A change in the public perception of engineering could make it easier to attract people into the profession. An on-going, long-term public awareness campaign is needed to raise the profile of engineers in the eyes.