Nikita Arora, C.E.T., BTech., EDDT

Nikita Arora has a bachelor of technology degree from the Memorial University of Newfoundland with a university medal for academic excellence. She also has an honours diploma in engineering design and drafting technology from NAIT. Nikita has been a C.E.T. with ASET since 2013 and has 12 years of work experience in engineering and technology. She started her career with WorleyParsons (now Worley) Edmonton and gained solid experience in engineering, procurement, and construction services within the oil, gas and mining industry worldwide.

Over the past eight years, Nikita has worked at the City of Edmonton in progressive roles. Starting as an engineering technologist, she eventually progressed to a team lead of the Vendor Management Office. From 2016 until 2021, she taught several semesters at NAIT as contract instructor, preparing adult learners for careers in technology. In an engineering technology program, she taught descriptive geometry, manual drafting, and electrical design. She has also taught design software such as AutoCAD and MicroStation.

Nikita serves the community through expansive volunteering. At NAIT, she participates in the engineering design technology program advisory committee and attends academic technical report presentations. As an auditor-in-training with Technology Accreditation Canada, Nikita works to ensure quality education is provided in Canada. As a member of Emergency Support Response Team (ESRT), she supports operations of the ESRT led by the City of Edmonton. Recently, in an ESRT team lead role, Nikita supported evacuees fleeing wildfires in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Nikita is additionally involved in multiple union positions. She currently operates as a shop steward, bylaw committee member, and community relations committee member in her civic service union.

These roles and her other duties have given her extensive experience and training in skills like leadership, communication, procurement, negotiation, vendor governance, business reporting, and continuous improvement, to name a few. She has also undertaken project management and benchmarking exercises, engaging with multi-disciplinary teams and municipalities across Canada. This has provided her experience with coaching, mentoring, and business processes, among other things. As a results-driven professional with extensive experience, she has led, managed, and successfully executed large, complex, groundbreaking and politically sensitive projects.

If elected, Nikita will work to expand the membership and provide more benefits. She aims to open more doors for the membership by building strategic ties with institutions offering graduate programs.

“It will be beneficial to the membership if ASET partners with more academic institutions that can grant credits to prospective students by recognizing ASET designations,” she says. Furthermore, “ASET can also consider working together with other professional associations, such as the supply chain and project management institute, to discuss opportunities for our membership.”

Nikita’s other key focus would be to ensure there is sufficient clarity on the independent scope of work that technologists can undertake, educating on the work of technologists, and clarifying the scope of an engineering technologist versus a technologist. She will explore ways to encourage more students in the ASET disciplines, including information technology, to pursue ASET membership designations. She would work with academic institutions to encourage students to obtain ASET membership and a career in the field. Nikita will work to deepen market presence, steer further engagement and marketing, and build a stronger membership network and social media presence. She would focus on improved governance and branding of the association, a trademark of technologists that plays a vital role in improving the perception of technologists in the engineering and technology world.

Nikita holds a positive attitude and has a passion for being accountable, flexible, dependable, open-minded, professional, fair and ethical. She is dedicated to making significant contributions to the community, improving quality of life and providing a better place to live for all.