Embassy of Nepal, London and SONEUK celebrate International Women in Engineering Day

London – The Society of Nepalese Engineers UK (SONEUK), in collaboration with the Embassy of Nepal, hosted ‘International Women in Engineering Day’ on the 23rd June 2026

The event aimed to acknowledge the hard work of Nepali female engineers across academia and industry.

The event began with Er Manoj Pun giving an overview of the day’s agenda. Afterwards, Er Srijana Khadka served as the MC and invited the acting ambassador, Mr Bipin Duwadi, Charge d’ affaires, to speak. He noted the importance of celebrating such events and said this was a great flagship event.

He also offered SONEUK a compliment for promoting education and awareness, whether by supporting young people through a research competition or by hosting events such as this.

SONEUK chairperson, Er Subodh Timilsina, spoke about the importance of the event. He mentioned that Er Shanti Malla was the first female engineer pioneer in Nepal and that she is an inspiration to female engineers. He also spoke about women in engineering and how the idea came to mind, and said that throughout the Nepali engineering diaspora, he had seen brilliant contributions in academia and industry.

The technical event commenced with a presentation by Smriti Hamal, who shared her experiences as a female aircraft engineer in the UK. During her talk, she discussed the challenges she faced while working in the defence sector and highlighted the diverse projects and sites she has worked on throughout her career. She also spoke about the realities of working in a male-dominated industry, explaining the difficulties of being a minority as a woman and, additionally, as someone belonging to a minority group within that environment.

Following the keynote presentation, the Women in Engineering event continued with two engaging panel discussions moderated by Ajeena Timilsina.

The first panel discussion featured three senior professionals with extensive experience in the engineering sector: Dr. Jaya Acharya, Senior Lecturer in Civil and Structural Engineering; Er. Bandana Shrestha, Associate Director in the Drainage Unit at Jacobs; and Er. Poonam Pathak, Assistant Director of Traffic, Highways and Parking at the London Borough of Harrow.

During the discussion, the panelists shared their journeys into engineering and reflected on the motivations that inspired them to pursue careers in the field. They also discussed their experiences of securing their first jobs in the UK and highlighted the cultural differences between the countries where they had studied and worked and the UK workplace environment. The conversation further explored engineering solutions that Nepal could adopt, as well as the growing role of artificial intelligence in research and data modelling. In addition, the panelists discussed representation of women in STEM and shared their perspectives on whether gender-related challenges remain prevalent within their workplaces and educational institutions.

The second panel discussion featured five early- and mid-career professionals: Ar. Nibedita Gautam, Er. Aagya Sharma, Er. Priyanka Regmi, Er. Sadikshya Paudel, and Er. Sony Adhikari.

The discussion focused on the importance of knowledge transfer and professional exchange between Nepal and the global engineering community, highlighting how effective brain circulation can contribute to innovation and development. The panellists also reflected on the representation of women in engineering, noting that while progress has been made, women remain underrepresented in certain sectors and particularly in senior leadership positions.

The conversation explored the factors that continue to attract individuals to engineering despite it traditionally being a male-dominated profession. The panellists shared insights into the different experiences and challenges faced by men and women throughout their careers and discussed the role that organisations can play in fostering more inclusive workplaces, supporting career progression, and reducing barriers to advancement.

Influence of AI in engineering

Both Panel A and Panel B also discussed the growing influence of artificial intelligence in engineering. While recognising its significant potential, the panellists emphasised that AI should be viewed as a tool to support professionals rather than replace them, underscoring the enduring value of human expertise, judgement, and innovation.

To conclude the event, Chairperson of SONEUK, Er Subodh Timilsina, delivered the closing remarks, expressing his appreciation to the speakers, panellists, organisers, and attendees for their contributions to the success of the programme.

He encouraged the current and future Executive Committee members of SONEUK to continue their hard work and commitment towards organising similar initiatives, emphasising that this event marked the beginning of an ongoing effort rather than the end of the conversation.

He further highlighted the importance of inclusion and diversity in both engineering and society as a whole, noting that meaningful progress and sustainable growth can only be achieved when individuals from diverse backgrounds are given equal opportunities to contribute and succeed.