Page 22 - IB MAR 2019

Profile

Mosese Sikivou (right) worked on the Dubhai metro line, route 2020 above. He’s now working on Sydney’s Light Rail Project. Photo: Supplied

The long road to Dubai commercial and leadership skills. Mo inspired and drove the team
to achieving deadlines and motivated and developed capacity
within the international teams.”
Young Fiji-born engineer making his on a road project in neighbouring Qatar, hosts of the 2020 FIFA
Prior to working on the Dubhai metro line for Mosese worked
mark in global projects World Cup.
“Mo led the design and modelling for Phase 1 and 2,” explains
Ian Chapman, his senior projects manager in Melbourne. “This
By Samisoni Pareti was delivered with Mo based in Perth and the drawing team in
Brisbane. These outputs were then interfaced with the design
WHEN Dubai hosts the world in October next year for the World team in India and project team in Doha, Qatar.
Exposition, keep an eye out for the metro’s new extension line “Mo’s ability to create efficiency and deliver exceptional quality
called Route 2020. You may not see a banner declaring the names is shown by his leading of the modelling within the local design
of engineers who helped built that US$2.8 billion,15 kilometre team and being able to produce the design documentation at
extension metro line, but you may be intrigued by the thought twice the rate of the parallel team.”
that a young man from Narocivo village in Fiji’s Rewa delta The irony in all of this is that Sikivou could have been putting
contributed to that engineering feat. his expertise to good use in Fiji had the country agreed to invest
Mosese Sikivou is a senior civil design specialist with the in his education as an engineer. Three times he applied for a
Australian engineering firm Jacobs, which is one of the world’s scholarship with the then Fijian Affairs Board (available only for
largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional indigenous Fijians), and three times he was knocked back. This
and construction services, including all aspects of architecture, is in spite of the fact that three universities of repute had accepted
engineering and construction, operations and maintenance, as him to study civil engineering, namely the University of Southern
well as scientific and specialty consulting. Jacobs employs over Queensland, Auckland University and the Massachusetts Institute
77,000 people working in over 400 locations around the world. of Technology in the US.
“It’s the kind of project where you just have to “take the bull Years later, the young engineer takes a philosophical stance
by the horns,” so to speak and give it your best shot,” Sikivou about the whole experience.
told Islands Business. “You have no choice. It was challenging, “Some may identify with my experience of being turned down
it required a lot of concentrated effort, personal sacrifice and and the discouragement that arose. It’s very important not to lose
team work.” focus and not to let negative circumstances or outcomes derail
His manager in the Dubai metro project, Ricardo Uwa Aig- you or determine your destiny. Also I’ve learned not to be bitter
bekaen said Sikiviou was Design Lead for the most complex about things. It’s a waste of precious time.
element of the design. This role required in-depth coordination “In hindsight, I believe things have worked out very well. My
between various disciplines including mechanical and electrical, second job in Australia, took me to Melbourne, where I wooed
architectural design, utilities design, landscaping, security, adver- my beautiful wife Tulia Titifanua into marrying me. I first met
tising and station context planning and urban design. her in Fiji when we were students, and was quite smitten by her.
“Mo in addition led a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural team, She disappeared after a short while, only to reappear in my life
including international teams located in UAE, India and the UK. in Melbourne. I’m reminded of the story of Joseph in [Bible book
Mo Sikivou has a rare combination for an engineer of technical, of] Genesis, where God turned around his situation for his good.

22 Islands Business, March 2019