Sandra Nilsen has 26 years of experience in the construction industry working across all aspects of design, engineering and delivery of numerous major projects across a range of sectors. In her current role as General Manager Design & Engineering at BESIX Watpac, she leads an in-house engineering team in Australia. She works closely with the leadership and new business development teams to further develop design and engineering solutions for both new opportunities and active projects – ensuring the best value for the client is achieved. She is passionate about promoting sustainability and ensuring that the design process is undertaken in a holistic manner to deliver a total design solution. Sandra is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia and has a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) 1st class Hons.

BESIX Watpac is a leading multi-disciplinary construction company with four decades of experience in Australia backed by a century of global expertise through the award-winning international contractor, BESIX Group. In 2023, the company celebrates 40 years of operations as well cementing its legacy in the construction landscape with over $25 billion worth of projects delivered since establishing as Watkins Pacific in Queensland in the early 1980’s. This includes many nation-building projects throughout Australia including hospitals, stadiums and infrastructure. Now as part of BESIX Group, the company has access to increased technical capability and is focused on delivering projects across all sectors including complex infrastructure.