Newly promoted to Principal, structural engineer Rabee Kafina is a Chartered Professional Engineer with over 19 years experience, with a career portfolio that covers world-class projects, with many located in Dubai and the Middle East.

Rabee masters digital engineering and possesses extensive high rise building technical expertise. His knowledge and expertise in these areas have seen him engineer projects standing at 40 or more storeys high.

As a Principal, what does your role involve at XK?

I lead a great team of engineers and drafters to deliver high-profile and complex technical projects from concept to completion to ensure the successful delivery of our projects. I am a people-centric person, and I always express empathy with my team, clients, and partners by stepping into their shoes, being aware of their concerns, and understanding their needs.

Mentoring my team is also an important part of my role. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge by guiding and coaching the next generation of designers.

Best thing about being an engineer?

That’s a hard one to answer! If I can only pick one, it would be creativity, which allows me to push boundaries to create innovative and sustainable built environment. I also enjoy working with people who share the same passion, which often leads to interesting discussions/debates, allowing me to grow alongside like-minded professionals.

I am an expert in?

“The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” I can’t claim being an expert, but I have a passion for tall buildings and space steel structures with a deep interest in complex geometries.

What makes XK a great engineering company to work for?

XK has always put its people first. We have the best people who thrive in an environment where they feel valued, have their voice heard and are encouraged to excel at what they do best. XK genuinely values the input of our people and different ways of thinking. We also invest heavily in the professional development of our team to ensure we amplify their growth. We also get to interact with a broad range of people in our industry which is very interesting.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on a few exciting projects such as Beyond, Hurstville by Fridcorp, Carter 4 by Meriton and 45 Murray Street, Pyrmont by IHHL. All these three projects encompass challenges from an engineering esthetic perspective that are very interesting and challenging.

As a leader of XK, what is your vision for the company?

XK is a dynamic, progressive engineering company that is disrupting traditional firms by challenging the status quo in the built environment, which has positioned us well in our industry. I only see this growing. My vision for the future is to continually increase the standards of engineering and building practice to provide the highest level of engineering expertise. 

Finally, we have asked our team what they think about you…

“Rabee always takes responsibility for his projects.”

 “He is flexible with his team and, more importantly, always lends an ear.”

“Always willing to help, he generously shares his time and technical expertise despite his busy workload.”

“Rabee is the perfect combination of technical expertise and a people-centric person.”

“Rabee is always easy to reach out regarding site inspection or project issues – text messages, phone calls, emails.”