Maggie de Beer is the National Equipment Manager at Qube Ports NZ – a role she never imagined for herself when she first began  working holidays at a local engineering firm in her hometown in South Africa, where at 18 she was offered a receptionist role. Over the  years, she has held various positions, but realised that to make a real impact, she needed to understand the technical aspects.

“I started my career working admin jobs at a local engineering firm during school holidays. I was offered a receptionist role, but to be  honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I studied part-time, first in business management, then specialised in finance because, back  then, admin and finance were the paths women ‘were good at,’ right?”

Exposure to global companies like Komatsu, Liebherr and Caterpillar increased her curiosity. “I made it my mission to learn as much as I  could about manufacturing and engineering, and I was lucky to have some managers who were willing to teach me along the way.”

When Maggie and her husband immigrated to New Zealand in 2019, she joined a port equipment engineering firm. She started once again  in an admin role but quickly transitioned into more technical work. “Luckily, this time I had an amazing manager. Over the four years  that I worked for him, he was willing to see past the male ‘mould’ and see my technical skills and offered me every opportunity to learn  about port products, drawings, manufacturing, job management, project management, costing and general engineering.”

Driving Innovation Through Engineering

Maggie’s role at Qube Ports NZ has also allowed her to lead some innovative engineering projects. One of her proudest achievements  dates to her previous role, where she was instrumental in developing their firstever lifting gear with integrated telematics. “That first  prototype was a turning point for me. I remember looking at it and thinking, ‘We can make this work across multiple products.’ I started  scoping what the telematics system could look like for our gear.”

Although Maggie moved on before the mechanical log grapple telematic design was fully tested, her innovative contributions ensured
the telematics system became operational and is now integrated across various log and bulk grabs, including Qube’s own mechanical log  grapples. “Seeing it commissioned and running in 40+ machines, including our Qube equipment, was a massive moment. It proved we could innovate from the ground up and make it work in real-world port conditions.”

Making an Impact at Qube Ports NZ

Now as National Equipment Manager at Qube Ports NZ, Maggie leads an all-male national team across the mechanical engineering  division. “Every day is different. Some days I’m out on-site at ports, inspecting equipment, meeting with operations teams, and ensuring  maintenance programs are running properly. Other days, I’m managing budgets, working on major equipment projects, or liaising with  contractors and suppliers.”

Support and Growth at Qube

Maggie is quick to acknowledge the role Qube Ports has played in her professional growth. “Qube has backed me from the start, not just  with the opportunity to step into this role, but with the trust and support to shape it into something impactful. I’ve had the freedom to bring  new ideas to life, to challenge the status quo, and to really grow as a leader. I’ve always felt like my voice is heard here, and that matters.”

Keeping Motivated

What keeps Maggie motivated is the opportunity to make meaningful, lasting change. “Finding new ways to improve how we operate,  making the work safer for our people, and adding real value to the business got me into engineering. It made me passionate about  changing the way things are done today so that tomorrow’s operations are smarter, safer and more efficient. Being able to drive that kind  of positive change across our ports and logistics network is incredibly rewarding, and it’s what keeps me excited about coming to work  every day.”

That’s also why she put her hand up to speak at Women in Trades Taranaki. “I believe my journey and roles could inspire women to enter  industries they may not know they belong in, just like I felt when I started my career having worked with many people in trades but only five  female Mechanical Engineering Apprentices in over 19 years.”