Growing up in Bundaberg, Nicole Batchler had no family connection to engineering but felt a strong desire to build things.

Now in her mid-30s, Nicole is being tipped as a future construction industry leader after becoming the first woman to gain the prestigious Tom Carn Memorial Future Leaders Bursary.

CQUni graduate Nicole Batchler has been recognised for her leadership skills

The CQUniversity Civil Engineering graduate is currently working on the $385 million Port of Brisbane Motorway Upgrade project, where she's part of the BMD Seymour Whyte Joint Venture delivery team.

Nicole graduated with honours in 2001 and began her career with Waggamba Shire Council before progressing to Seymour Whyte, where she was soon part of a Bruce Highway upgrade project.

Seymour Whyte has acknowledged Nicole's reputation as both a team player and true leader, as she represents the company on various joint venture projects involving representatives from multiple organisations.

She has become the first female Senior Project Engineer employed at Seymour Whyte and is involved in the Queensland Government Women in Hard Hats initiative, which encourages women into non-traditional careers.

Nicole's achievements include embracing a broad range of engineering disciplines including roads and structures. She's also had to conquer her fear of heights by jumping from a plane, taking on bridge climbs and accepting bridge construction roles.

Reflecting on her time as a student at CQUniversity, Nicole says the experience started favourably when she met the then Dean of Engineering Erin Jancauskas.

"He was very personable and approachable and I knew from that day on that the engineering degree that CQUni was offering was for me - the lecturers were largely from outside of the Uni rather than full-time professors which gave real-life experience to the theoretical application," she said.

"There was also a broad range of skills from management and communication courses in addition to the technical courses. I think having completed some management, contract management and economic courses gave me a bit of an edge in moving into a contracting environment."

Keen to expand her knowledge, Nicole is currently completing a Diploma in Project Management through Engineers Education Australia. She has also completed personal coaching for leadership skills, through MATRIX GLOBAL, as well a range of in-house professional development courses.

She has pledged to mentor other women through the Seymour Whyte Women in Leadership program and hopes her bursary will enable her to afford a short course or seminar on leadership or strategic management at the Harvard Business School in the USA.