Interview with Rishav Prasad

What degree are you currently studying and why? At what university??

Bachelor of Engineering – Chemical Engineering at UNSW.

I chose chemical engineering due to a strong passion for scientific innovation, as well as the wide range of skills that the chemical engineering degree offers.

What is your most memorable achievement up to this point? This can be university, sporting, cultural or otherwise.?

Participating in a National inter-university competition for social entrepreneurship (by Enactus Australia), representing UNSW and placing 2nd?in the competition. The experience helped me develop my public speaking skills, as well as being a great social experience with students from across various Australian universities. The people I met and the time I got to spend with them was one of my most valuable university experiences – made it worth all the time we spent preparing. Winning 2nd?place was just an added bonus :)

As a young professional, what appeals to you about the infrastructure industry??

I’ve always been interested in the complexities of large infrastructure projects and curious about the various technical and non-technical skills involved. I’m excited to work in an industry that is always growing and changing, and therefore can offer me something new to learn throughout my career.

Why did you join E3 Advisory? What did you hope to learn here and what appealed to you when looking for undergraduate experience??

As an undergraduate, I look for opportunities that support my learning and growth, and I found the culture and people at E3 to be great in supporting my growth. When meeting various E3 staff at university networking events and competitions, I quickly grew fond of the culture and work ethic they represented – this was the main appeal for me to apply for E3’s undergraduate program, among various others.

What skills do you bring to E3 Advisory and what interesting projects/services do you hope to use these skills in??

Having participated in a number of case competitions covering fields such as transport, circular economy, human-centered infrastructure, as well as business cases, I have developed skills in problem-solving, research and analysis, as well as financial modelling and risk analysis at a basic level.

At present, I am keen to work on projects that help me develop my analytical skills further (such as costs projects).

What is your advice for breaking into the infrastructure or general industry as an undergraduate? What are some challenges for undergraduates in 2021??

Broaden your horizons – as a chemical engineering student, the types of infrastructure my degree teaches me about is obviously limited to a specialised set (chemical plants, water treatment plants, material production facilities etc.). However, through extracurricular activities and meeting people from different degrees/industries, I found the applicability of my problem-solving skills in a much wider set of industries. Learning of this, I was motivated to explore more opportunities and found an unexpected interest in advisory work.

Networking – meeting people and building a professional relationship with people who are already in the industry has been a huge help in my decision to look into this industry. It helped me gain some insight of what the industry is actually like, and what day-to-day work can look like.

What do you see as the future of the infrastructure industry and how you hope to impact it??

Sustainable development is something I have always been passionate about, and therefore its something I would like to see in all infrastructure developments in the future. I hope to see the infrastructure industry experiment with new innovations such as sustainable materials (something the industry has already started doing) in an environmentally conscious, yet economically sustainable manner. It is definitely a challenging goal to reach, but I am keen to learn more about this industry and understand how it grows and changes with time.

What is the best piece of advice you have received and how did you take that on board??

Avoid specialising too early. As undergraduates, we are yet to explore many skills, talents and interests within ourselves. And even though we pick a degree specialisation, it is always possible to continue broadening your university experience through extracurriculars engagements.

How do you balance your work life with your “real” life? How important is it to you?

Really important to me – one of the reasons I was attracted to the consulting/advisory industry is that the work style is dynamic and you get to do something different every now and then. I avoid stagnancy, and always look to try different things.

I enjoy going on long walks – something that helps clear my mind and enjoy my surrounding, and also taking some time out for university societies. As a former member of the UNSW Engineering Society (EngSoc) I got to meet and connect with many individuals while running mentoring and educational programs, which has given me some of my best memories at uni. In times when I have a busy schedule where I know I will not make time for social activities, I try to keep a ‘say-yes’ mentality and join whatever social activities my friends come up with – pushing myself to make time for them. This ensures I keep a balance between professionals and personal lives.

Do you prefer working in the office or working from home? What is your top tip for working in-person and remotely?

This is a hard one, but I lean towards in-person at the moment (sort of like a 51-49 split though). In-person work has always been better for my productivity, as well as seeking help for tasks I am new to.

For remote work however, (cliché’ advice at this point I think but) creating a separate space at home where you can focus on work has been useful for me. And trying to stick to a schedule (e.g., having lunch at the same time as I would if in-person) is another tool I use when working remotely.

What is your hobby outside of work? What gets you jumping out of bed on the weekend?

• Going on long walks
• Definitely love my movies and tv shows – Love Marvel!
• Every once in a while, I enjoy trying to cook a new dish (tend to fail terribly but as long as its edible it gives a feeling of achievement!)
• Learning something new – Whether it be reading a book or watching a documentary, or even just a YouTube video.?
• Graphics design - very basic skill level at the moment, but something I would gladly spent hours doing.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or dead, who would they be and why?

Robert Downey Jr – great personality, would probably be the most fun dinner I’ll ever have. I also feel like his personality would blend well with mine!