Dr Francesca Maclean
About Dr Francesca Maclean
Dr. Francesca Maclean is the Strategy & Insights and Social Procurement Lead (VIC) at Arup and the Founder of The Fortem Project, with a background in engineering and diversity leadership.
Company
Dr. Francesca Maclean is currently employed at Arup, a globally recognized engineering and consulting firm. She holds the position of Strategy & Insights and Social Procurement Lead for the Victoria region. Her role includes leading Arup's social procurement advisory, focusing on integrating Indigenous businesses into project supply chains.
Title
Dr. Francesca Maclean serves as the Strategy & Insights and Social Procurement Lead for Arup in Victoria. She is also the Founder of The Fortem Project, an initiative she has been leading concurrently since 2019.
Education and Expertise
Dr. Francesca Maclean earned her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Tissue Engineering from The Australian National University, where she studied from 2014 to 2017. She also holds a Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Mechanics and Materials Systems Engineering and Chemistry from the same institution, completed between 2009 and 2013. Her extensive academic background includes a Northern Territory Certificate of Education from Casuarina Senior College, achieved from 2007 to 2008.
Background
Dr. Francesca Maclean's professional journey has seen her in various roles of increasing responsibility. She served as the Melbourne Office Diversity & Inclusion Leader and Australasian Disability Leader at Arup, contributing significantly to developing diversity initiatives and disability confidence programs. Previously, she also worked as Engineer in Residence at Swinburne University of Technology.
Achievements
Dr. Francesca Maclean was named ACT Young Woman of the Year in 2017. She was also selected as one of Science & Technology Australia’s inaugural Superstars of STEM. In 2019, she completed the Victorian Government’s Joan Kirner Young Women Leaders program, adding to her commendable list of achievements.