Critical Careers - Women Building Careers in Digital Infrastructure - Book - Page 42
Critical Careers
MID CAREER
How did you 昀椀rst discover digital
infrastructure, and what led you to the
role you’re in today?
I studied mechanical engineering in South Africa and began my career
in building services. After about six years, I was ready for a change, and
a friend in Ireland called at just the right time to say their company was
expanding. I said yes, sent my CV, did the interview, and suddenly I was
saying yes not only to a new job, but to moving countries and starting a
new chapter.
I always liked the idea of working internationally and being part of
multidisciplinary teams, so that global, collaborative element really
appealed to me. I joined the business in a different area initially, but as
the company evolved, the focus shifted more and more towards data
centres. That transition created the opportunity for me to move into
designing mechanical systems speci昀椀cally for data centre buildings, and
that’s really where my role in digital infrastructure took shape.
Andrea
van Eeden
SENIOR PROJECT ENGINEER | ETHOS ENGINEERING
40
What’s kept me interested is realising that it’s not just about building
services in isolation. There’s a whole ecosystem around it, from design
through to construction and operations, and ultimately real people using
the services those facilities enable every day. Over time, as you gain
experience, you start to connect the dots. You begin to understand why
different clients care about different things, how their priorities shape the
design decisions you make, and how choices around things like cooling
systems, water use, or ef昀椀ciency have wider implications. That learning
journey, and being able to see the bigger picture, is really what’s led me
to where I am today and why I continue to enjoy working in this space.
