As a child living in Bengaluru, India, Abdul Zameer always knew that he wanted to become an engineer. His career choice came as no surprise to his family, given that he had always had an excellent role model at home. “My father was a Chief Engineer,” he said. “The hard work and dedication he put into India’s Hydel Project inspired me to enter the engineering field.”
Abdul Zameer completed a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1999 at Karnatak University, Dharwad. He has since gained a wealth of experience in MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) and project management in the Middle East and North Africa region.
He has worked on major infrastructure projects that have improved transportation for millions of people, such as the Dubai, Doha and Mekkah metros, the Dubai tram network and Jeddah Airport. At the time of writing, he is working on Expo 2023 Doha Qatar.
Development support
In 2013 Abdul Zameer started working for the WS Atkins team in Dubai. “At Atkins, everybody talked about the IET and the advantages it can bring to an engineering career, so I decided to join,” he said. “Two years later when I was in Qatar, I became an IET volunteer. I focused on persuading my peers to become IET members – I did this by promoting the benefits of the IET platform and attaining Chartered Engineer status.”
Abdul Zameer took things a step further in October 2020 when he became a Professional Development Mentor (PDM). It’s a role he thoroughly enjoys: “The starting point is to understand what the mentee needs in terms of development support. Having established that, I then provide guidance to help the mentee achieve their professional development goals.”
The advice that Abdul Zameer provides ranges from introducing the CEng process to explaining how to collect evidence for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and upload it to the IET website.
“I make sure they understand the importance of CPD to their career progression,” he said. “Many of my mentees have recorded between 40 and 50 hours of CPD every year – I’m very proud to have inspired them to achieve this.”
One of the biggest challenges Abdul Zameer faces in his Mentor role is geography: “I’m based in Qatar, but my mentees are usually located in other countries in the Middle East and India. This can be problematic if there’s a time difference, but we always find a way to make it work.”
Professional registration
In June 2021 Abdul Zameer took on an additional volunteer role: International Professional Registration Advisor (IPRA). “I decided to become an IPRA because in Qatar there are many engineering professionals who want to know how to become chartered,” he said.
As an IPRA he is responsible for providing advice on professional registration to candidates and actively promoting IET membership. He said: “I review applications for CEng or IEng and advise candidates how to improve their application, including their competence report.
“I emphasise the importance of including details of new technologies or tools that candidates have used in their work projects. I help them understand how to present their case in the right way for the assessment panel and provide one-to-one guidance to make sure they are fully aware of the latest UK-SPEC.”
What Abdul Zameer really enjoys about the IPRA role is the feeling that he has played an important role in helping candidates to complete an application that accurately reflects their experience, skills, competence and integrity. He said: “There’s nothing better than getting a message from a successful candidate telling me that my advice and feedback helped them to gain professional registration. That makes me feel very proud.”
In September 2022, Abdul Zameer took the logical next step on his IET volunteer journey by becoming a Professional Review Interviewer. In this role, he’s responsible for drawing out information from candidates to verify the contents of their application and to demonstrate that they have attained the required level of competence.
Positive impact
Abdul Zameer is a prolific and highly effective volunteer. On average, he spends around 50 hours a month on IET volunteer activities, yet he succeeds in maintaining a good work-life balance.
His nomination for the 2022 IET Core Values Awards (CVA) competition says it all: “Abdul is extremely helpful, considerate and resourceful – a fantastic mentor who is consistently positive and exceptional at all that he does. He is a true champion for the IPRA service with a tireless dedication to serving the community. He was the one who persuaded me to become a member of the IET.
“He brings a considered and thoughtful approach to leadership, but equally a willingness to learn and listen. His honesty, along with his friendly and considerate nature and qualities, make him a natural leader. He always sees the good side of people and encourages others to do the same. The respect others have for Abdul is exceptional. He’s an enthusiastic, goal-driven person.”
In November 2022, Abdul was congratulated with a token of thanks by the IET Communities Committee of South Asia for his commitment to supporting the professional development of engineers in India and the Middle East.
Personal and professional growth
Abdul Zameer has gained a huge amount from being an IET volunteer. He said: “Volunteering has enabled me to develop my communication, people management and work management skills.
“It has also provided a great platform for networking, including opportunities to socialise with industry experts during training and workshop sessions. I’ve been able to improve my own knowledge and – most important of all – give something back to the engineering community.
“For me, volunteering is a journey of learning and sharing. I thoroughly recommend it!”