The NAWO 100 Women in Operations campaign exists to showcase the scope of operational roles available to women, the industries they span, and the many pathways women take throughout their careers. These stories are about representation, connection and demonstrating what is possible.

Today, we congratulate and welcome Josephine Rahman, Quality Assurance Coordinator – CopperString 2032, Powerlink to the Wall of Fame.

Josephine began her career as a Business/Arts graduate at BlueScope, driven by curiosity and a desire to understand where she could make the most meaningful contribution. Early on, she gravitated toward Continuous Improvement and Quality roles, working across logistics, manufacturing, innovation and customer service. These experiences allowed her to think conceptually about how people, systems and organisations work together to achieve better outcomes.

In 2025, Josephine transitioned into Energy Transmission, joining Powerlink Queensland to lead project assurance for CopperString 2032, Queensland’s largest regional development initiative. Her work focuses on shaping the conditions for success through systems thinking, considered decision-making and positive leadership.

Parallel to her professional journey, Josephine’s connection to NAWO has been a constant. She discovered the NAWO community early in her graduate years and credits those connections with helping her see what was possible for her career. A chance meeting with fellow BlueScope colleague at a NAWO site tour led to co-hosting a NAWO event, which in turn opened the door to joining the Queensland Committee.

Josephine later stepped into the role of Co-Chair of the Queensland Committee, navigating leadership while balancing motherhood. This experience further strengthened her commitment to inclusive leadership, community and connection. She has also played a key role in establishing the Regional NSW Committee in Newcastle and continues to support newer volunteers by sharing her experience and learnings.

A defining learning Josephine carries with her comes from early exposure to root cause analysis. Working alongside fellow “detectives,” she learned that failures are rarely the result of a single issue, but rather the interaction of systems, behaviours, decisions and context. Over time, she came to see that this perspective applies equally when things go right. This mindset continues to guide her work and her ongoing volunteer contribution with NAWO.

Looking to the future, Josephine believes diversity and inclusion in operations are essential to performance and sustainability. She advocates for genuinely engaged teams, where different thinking is welcomed, healthy challenge is encouraged, and people feel safe to contribute. For her, diversity involves those who design processes and those who use them, while inclusion creates the conditions for people to speak up, be heard and influence improvement.

Josephine was nominated for:

  • Being a dedicated NAWO volunteer for over ten years and a tireless advocate for women in historically male-oriented industries
  • Her exceptional leadership as Co-Chair of the Queensland Committee, with a strong focus on connection, engagement and foresight
  • Her instrumental role in establishing the Regional NSW Committee in Newcastle and supporting newer volunteers through shared learning and experience

We congratulate Josephine Rahman on her recognition and thank her for the lasting contribution she continues to make to operations and the NAWO community.