Celebrating Ruby
With an honours degree in Renewable Engineering & Business Administration from Australia National University (ANU), she embarked on an adventurous journey during her university years, building and racing solar cars across Australia while leading the ANU Solar Racing Project. Beyond her engineering prowess, she actively engages with the ANZ startup community and has been recognized as a Startmate Student Fellow and then a participant in the Startmate Founders Challenge. As a member of the Blackbird Giants Program, she solidified her dedication to driving innovation and leaving a lasting impact in the startup ecosystem. In her new role as Head of Ops at Aquila, Ruby brings her passion, expertise, and commitment to contribute to our growth and vision.
Q. Hey Ruby, can you tell us a little about yourself?
R. I'm a female engineer who used to design, build and race solar cars. I have worked on creating large-scale renewable projects for the last two years (one was about the size of Wales!). Before then, I was in real estate sales which was great fun (I love architecture), although not my forever job.
Q. What initially sparked your passion for renewable energy, and was there a particular moment or experience that ignited your interest in this field?
R. I am a big-picture person; at the end of the day, engineering was fun, but I could never sit happily without doing something bigger than myself and was generally becoming more and more climate-conscious as I grew up. Hence I ended up in renewables and, later, startups! Both ignite my passion for the big picture and big visions!
Q. How do you see your role evolving as the company grows?
R. The Head of Ops role in Aquila will likely change a lot. As we build our product, get it on the ground and work with customers, we will have a significant scale-up in operations, logistics and manufacturing. Currently, we are primarily in testing, which requires a lot fewer logistics; therefore, it can be looked after by one person, but as we grow, we expect to have a big team in this space!
Q. With Aquila still in an early stage, what attracted you to this opportunity and made you confident in joining the team?
R. I was attracted to the solution first and foremost. In renewables, the grid constraint is the biggest issue that the industry is facing. It can take nine years or longer to develop a transmission line in Australia, and it just takes a lot of work to build across a massive number of private property parcels, given development approvals and land rights. Furthermore, the grid is very constrained, so even if you have a renewable project development approved on a transmission line, you may only partially acquire a grid connection due to energy constraints and instability in the grid. Aquila's vision will take these problems into a modern world! I was a little bit nervous joining an entirely new, tiny team at first, but what made me sure was an insight into the culture that Billy and Nelson plan to (and now are) build. Flexibility, achieving a flow state in your role, and care for each other are first and foremost in Aquila. It produces a deeper loyalty and higher efficiency than any other workplace I've been in.
Q. Your Involvement with the ANU Solar Racing Project sounds fascinating. Can you tell us more about how you got involved and share some highlights or memorable moments from your experience building and racing solar cars across Australia?
R. I got involved in racing solar cars during my university years, building sponsorship relationships to fund the team. Later I ran a group of about 40 people across business and tech roles who worked for two years flat out and ended up on a trip racing a tiny one-person solar car from Darwin to Adelaide. I loved the adventure and camaraderie. I found the project's fast pace and slightly shambolic nature very appealing.
It's pretty wild racing these cars because you have a steel roll cage around you and a carbon fibre chassis - but every time you get into it, you know the intricate, slightly alarming details of its less-than-ideal build state (i.e. braking at high speeds can cause a slight yaw). One time I was racing it and accidentally hit some roadkill in the 40 heat of the Aussie desert, which wasn't great. There is nothing between you and the road but the suspension. Hence, I was more or less hit by a nice variety of rotted/bbq'd camel smell mid-race and was stuck there driving for a couple of hours longer (we had to pick it all out of the wheels and suspension later that night. It was pretty gross).
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Q. Given your passion for the startup space, your involvement as a Startmate Student Fellow, and your current participation in the Blackbird Giants Program, What drives your interest in entrepreneurship, and are there any particular industries or problem areas you envision yourself addressing as a founder?
R. I am intensely interested in workplace implicit gender bias and have worked on several related projects. It's an intriguing topic that I find engaging. I'm currently collaborating with a close friend on a project aimed at retraining the brain to minimize subconscious biases in decision-making.
While being a founder is often seen as the ultimate success. I find fulfilment as part of Aquila's founding team. It allows me to be part of the momentum build, the scale and much of the excitement with a group I love around me without the overwhelming responsibility of managing employees, which would be quite stressful as a founder.
Q. Can you describe yourself in three words? 💬
R. Determined, Excitable, Optimistic
Q. If you could converse with any historical figure or role model, who would it be and why? What burning questions or ideas would you want to discuss with them? 🎙️
R. I would hands down talk to Catherine the Great, who ruled Russia for 34 years in what is now referred to as Russia's Golden Era after overthrowing her husband in a bloodless coup. She was very progressive for her time.. definitely worth a Google - what a badass. Tell me your secrets, Catherine. I want the coup story day by day!
Q. If you could live in any fictional world from a book or movie, which would you choose and why? 🎥
R. I don't read much fantasy because I need more badass female characters to read about (open for recommendations here). Éowyn does take down the Nazgul, which is pretty awesome in Lord of the Rings (LOTR), so maybe that would be fun - not at all mad about riding a horse all the time - specifically only if I could be her or Arwen's best friend.😜
Q. Would you rather live in a world where you always must tell the truth or can never lie? Please explain your choice.
R. Always tell the truth! Because although I never would... if you wanted to lie - part truths are just as practical 😉
We hope you enjoyed getting to know a little about Ruby 😊