Bitten by the IET volunteering bug

Chartered Engineer, Executive Coach and IET Fellow Dr Manisha Morais is able to draw from a wide range of experiences in her latest volunteer role: IET Fellowship Assessor. We take a look at her professional career journey and what she has learned along the way.

Manisha has a portfolio career that includes serving on the Energy Industries Council Board as a Non-Executive Director.

Four-time Fellow

Fellowship is the most senior category of IET membership. It’s awarded to high achievers – respected professionals who are at the forefront of engineering, technology or related disciplines.

Manisha holds the IET Fellowship in high regard. Her application was motivated by the desire to further enhance her network and to support her business development activities as well as her own professional development.

“I am a digitally fluent and ambitious professional with links to both academia and industry,” she said. “I am technically and commercially aware, which can help to engage technical and commercial professionals alike. My objective as a Fellow is to better myself and to help others do the same.”

Awarded IET Fellowship in March 2023, Manisha’s new status has certainly made a difference: “Fellowship has further enhanced my influence in the engineering and technology community. It has also helped me to overcome imposter syndrome and to remain confident and useful in new environments.”

And that’s not all. Manisha is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) and the Institute of Leadership too.

Confidence boost

Manisha received an email from our Registration and Standards Support Unit (RSSU) inviting her to apply for an IET volunteer position within Professional Registration and Fellowship.

She found the prospect very appealing: “I’ve always volunteered in some way with other organisations – for example, I was previously a CPD [Continuous Professional Development] Assessor volunteer with the IChemE and have been a guest speaker at a number of WES events.

“The RSSU provided several IET volunteer options. I selected the Fellowship Assessor position as I believed it would also challenge me. Having only recently become an IET Fellow, I wasn’t sure if my application would be successful, but I decided to give it a shot. I completed the Fellowship Assessor application form and submitted it for approval.

“I was over the moon when I received an email from the IET in August, confirming that the panel had approved my application. It gave me a confidence boost.”

Assessor training

Manisha attended an IET Fellowship Assessor training day at IET London: Savoy Place on 12 October.

“This wasn’t just any training session,” she said. “It was wonderful to finally meet Glenn Atkins [IET Professional Registration Operations Manager] in person – he was a huge help to me throughout the Fellowship application process – and to hear from so many seasoned professionals across many different sectors.

“I was one of the youngest trainees in the room and the only ethnic minority woman at the table. If there was ever going to be a moment when I would have imposter syndrome, this was it! However, I’m pleased to confirm that I was fully supported, encouraged and included in discussions throughout the day.”

Manisha learned a lot from the training session and appreciated meeting her fellow trainees: “It was lovely that many attendees approached me to share their experiences and hear about how I spend my working days.”

She is delighted to have completed her training, not least because her new Fellowship Assessor role will enable her to give something back to the engineering and technology community.

Initial assessment

Manisha completed her first IET Fellowship assessment in November 2023. She found it a very positive, enlightening and enriching experience.

“As busy professionals, it’s not easy to remain active with our professional bodies and keep up with our ongoing personal and professional commitments, but I’m really glad that I signed up as an IET Fellow and volunteer when I did,” she said.

“My first Fellowship assessment gave me the opportunity to pause and to look closely at the work of a seasoned leader. It reminded me that professionals are making excellent contributions globally and that we’re now interconnected, from the comfort of our own offices. Aren’t we just so blessed?”

Next steps

Now that Manisha has been well and truly bitten by the IET volunteering bug, she’s looking forward to her next Fellowship Assessor assignment.

She said: “I put a lot into volunteering because I believe it’s an important part of anyone’s career. I’ve been supported by volunteers throughout my working life and would not have reached the milestones that I did without their support.

“I have to be very disciplined when it comes to my own volunteering activities. It’s still early days, but I’m expecting my IET Fellowship Assessor duties to take up a few hours a month.”

Manisha’s advice to get the most satisfaction out of an IET volunteer role is to find one that allows you to give back, while also helping you to develop your own knowledge, skills and behaviours.

She said: “As a Fellowship Assessor, I can help others to bring out their excellence by providing feedback on applications where there may be some shortfalls. Applicants can then use this feedback to work on themselves, to reach a higher standard.”

The assessment process supports Manisha’s personal and professional development by giving her the opportunity to work as a team with IET colleagues, as well as to work with another assessor and the Chair as part of the assessment panel.

She concluded: “I will continue to volunteer for the IET as often as I can and will encourage others to work towards Fellowship.”