SMIFutures Early Career Profiles: Rheanne Sun Wai

In this SMIFutures Board spotlight we are delighted to introduce you to Rheanne Sun Wai, Engineering Manager at BAE Systems.

In this interview, Rheanne discusses how early engagement with the maritime industry - through the Engineering Education Scheme - shaped her decision to pursue a maritime career. She also highlights the diverse opportunities for growth and development the sector has offered her since.

What initially attracted you to your company, and why did you choose it for your career path?

As a sixth form student I took part in a scheme called the Engineering Education Scheme which partnered schools with mentors in local companies. The scheme had us complete a 9 month engineering project to solve a real-world problem in small teams, and our school was partnered with mentors from BAE Systems. I had a really great experience on the scheme, so when I was looking for internships during my Physics degree I decided to apply for BAE Systems' summer internship programme. I was looking for a way to transition between pure science into an applied engineering field and BAE had a great role in their Noise and Vibration team which seemed to fit my skillset really well. Since then, I had a great experience as a summer intern and came back as a graduate where I was lucky enough to get to experience a number of roles in the company. This really helped me to explore what I enjoyed and I ended up going down the route of research, development and innovation management which has been really interesting and has opened up a lot of opportunities for me.

Can you tell us about your educational background and how it prepared you for your current role in the maritime industry?

At school I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do so took a broad range of A Levels covering Maths, Physics, Design & Technology and Economics. When I applied for university I decided to keep my options open again with a science-based degree in Physics. From there I then went on to complete a Master's in Computational Methods for Aeronautics which I found really interesting and where I met a really diverse range of people who have since gone on to work in F1, aerospace, finance and consultancy to name a few.

I was lucky enough to get a really interesting role in BAE systems as a noise and vibration engineer on their graduate scheme. This was perfect for me, as I could put my degree to use in generating fluid dynamics models and working on some really interesting projects.

I would say that because I didn't really know what I wanted to do when I was younger, I chose subjects which have kept my options open. This has really helped because I now have a broad knowledge across lots of areas which has helped me adapt to quite a few different roles in the Maritime industry as I've progressed in my career. My current role requires me to work across multiple different engineering teams as part of a digital transformation programme so having that broad knowledge base has come in really useful!

How do you balance work and personal life, and what strategies do you use to maintain a healthy work-life integration?

Balancing work and personal life has been quite easy for me since working at BAE Systems as my company has a really flexible working policy and is very supportive of their employees in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Being in a traditional shipyard, I know we're quite similar to some other shipyards around the UK, where we get a half day on Friday which is a real treat.

Throughout the week I can use flexi-time to adjust my start and end times which works really well if I need to leave early or stay a bit later and can use this if I want to take some time off too e.g. for an extended weekend break. I find the local community has helped me settle in, and I'm part of a few groups outside of work for running and dancing which is great for helping to unwind after a day at work. It's also great living so close to the Lake District where I enjoy being able to get out into the lakes at the weekend for a good walk and stop off at a pub for some lunch!

What do you find most rewarding about working in the maritime industry, and what motivates you to continue pursuing your career in this field?

One of the most rewarding things I find about working in the maritime industry is the scale of some of the projects that we get to work on, and the opportunities that this brings. I've been fortunate enough to meet and learn from lots of incredibly talented people, have been able to work on a really diverse range of projects and travel internationally to other shipyards too.

Personally, I love getting a real breadth of experience and learning a little about a lot so being part of such large projects means there's lots of opportunity to move around and take on new projects or roles. It's a really great industry if you want to work in a variety of roles as you'll always find something to keep you interested and there's lots of scope for personal development which is what keeps me motivated. 

How do you envision the future of the maritime industry, and what role do you believe young professionals will play in shaping its trajectory?

I think the future of the maritime industry will be one that continues to see innovation, particularly in areas like sustainability, digital, and automation. There's a lot of opportunity in the maritime sector as we increase our understanding of the oceans and the demand for international collaboration grows so I can't see that diminishing anytime soon. There are also some pretty interesting challenges that need solving such as how we increase sustainability and adapt to an increasingly digital world.

I think young professionals will be crucial in bringing fresh ideas and new technologies to the industry and challenging the way that it's been done in many cases to improve our efficiencies and really shape the future of the maritime industry in the 21^st century.