Meet just some of our people who have recently stepped up into new roles with plenty of new challenges and opportunities.
Pulse spoke to Chris Torning, Sedgman Manager Operations and Hamish Hurley, Pacific Partnerships Senior Project Engineer. They joined the Group a decade apart and share the experience of building careers by working across multiple projects and sites.
We also spoke to team members across the Group, discovering what they find most rewarding about their role and career.
As a company we are driven to do more…deliver more…develop more. And we achieve it by backing our people and promoting from within.
Long term career pathways
January 2017, Chris Torning in China visiting suppliers of process pumps for the Middlemount Operations Float Scavenge Project.
Rich site experiences - Chris Torning, Sedgman Manager Operations
“I started out with Sedgman as an undergraduate back in 2008, and gained essential skills and experience within the Operations team. After graduating as a Mechanical Engineer with the Operations Maintenance and Reliability group, I worked across various sites and knew I wanted to try my hand at a site leadership role.
“An opportunity arose in New South Wales at the newly constructed Narrabri CHPP where I assisted in a maintenance function during the transition from commissioning to full operations. Reflecting back, that was when I realised the sense of satisfaction that comes from working in a challenging environment or being challenged on a personal level.
“Following Narrabri, I was seconded into positions as Superintendent then Plant Manager gaining valuable experience across both coal and metal operations, before returning to the Brisbane office to work within the Maintenance and Reliability group and the Operations consulting teams.
“I was then presented with an opportunity to support the operational team at Byerwen in Queensland, transitioning the plant from projects over to operations.
“In 2019, I commenced my current position, Manager Operations at Curragh in New South Wales and Middlemount in Queensland.”
What’s most rewarding about my role is the opportunity to directly influence operational, commercial and safety outcomes while developing strong working relationships both within and external to the Sedgman business.
Chris Torning Sedgman Manager Operations
Hamish visiting CPB Contractors’ Caufield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal project in Melbourne Victoria 2018.
“In 2017, I joined Pacific Partnerships’ Development team in Melbourne as a Project Engineer with a background in Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects and an MBA from the University of Melbourne.
“In my Pacific Partnerships role I’ve contributed to strategy development and the delivery of bids for several major transport and social infrastructure PPP opportunities in Victoria, New South Wales and New Zealand. This has allowed me the opportunity to build strong relationships with people at CPB Contractors, UGL and Ventia.
"I think the experience of working on both successful and unsuccessful bids, over my career, has driven me to continually push myself to develop further and challenge norms in the teams I work in. I aim to ensure that we’re exploring all opportunities to deliver the best products for our clients and the end users of our assets.
"A highlight of my work is always the final few days in any PPP tender where entire teams (from junior staff through to senior leadership) roll up their sleeves to achieve what can seem like the impossible in tight timeframes as we countdown to the submission deadline.”
Working with highly skilled and driven individuals from other Operating Companies and international Group related companies (HOCHTIEF and ACS Group) is an opportunity that is second to none when working within CIMIC Group.
"… working with a great group of people in a culture that finds innovative ways to grow our business and serve our clients." Ravi Achari, Mine Planning Manager - Australia West and India.
Ravi joined Thiess in 2013 as a Mine Planning Superintendent. He supported Thiess’ Western Australia (WA) team with work winning activities, incorporating both technical and practical solutions for our clients in tenders. In 2018, Ravi took on a career opportunity to lead the WA Mine Planning team as Mine Planning Manager – West. With a wealth of technical experience and an approachable leadership style, in 2019 Ravi took on additional responsibilities assisting with the management and development of Thiess’ newly formed India Hub.
“… working with people from around the world to solve business critical problems, which means I learn something new every day.” Brent Stowers, Leighton Asia Special Counsel.
Starting as a Contract Administrator with Thiess 15 years ago, Brent's journey has taken him through various senior commercial and legal roles while working in Thiess’ operations throughout Australia, India, Chile, Botswana and Canada. Brent qualified as a lawyer in 2011 and is currently working as Special Counsel to Leighton Asia in Hong Kong since April 2019.
“… being able to leverage my experience with EIC Activities and easily transfer this knowledge to capture local business opportunities with the Leighton Asia team.” Clinton Lourens, EIC Activities Principal – Bridges, Leighton Asia SEA Engineering Manager
Clinton commenced his engineering career as a piling contractor and soon moved into bridge design consultancy in South Africa. After working around the world in parts of Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Clinton moved to Australia to work for some of Australia’s leading engineering firms. In 2015, Clinton formed part of a group of specialists who helped to establish EIC Activities in its early formation. In his new role, Clinton will reside in Singapore to support Leighton Asia with tenders and project delivery in South East Asia.
“… the opportunity to work with some of the best people in the industry and to continually grow and develop my career, collaborating on complex projects in dynamic stakeholder environments.” Katherine Brewis, CPB Contractors Project Manager.
Katherine joined CPB Contractors in 2003 as a Graduate Engineer. She is a qualified civil engineer and project manager and has held senior project and management roles across various businesses including CPB Contractors and Thiess. Katherine has been involved with several high-profile projects, including the Western Highway Duplication, Section 2B (Buangor to Ararat), CityLink Tulla Widening, M80 Ring Road Upgrade, EastLink, Brighton Bypass and Caval Ridge Bulk Earthworks. Katherine holds degrees in Science and Engineering and is a member of the Institute of Engineers Australia and Vice President of the Victoria Chapter, National Association of Women in Construction.
“… the collaborative environment, and the level of autonomy, challenges and variety of work available at CIMIC.” Karin Ng, CIMIC Communications Manager.
In 2006, Karin joined Leighton Contractors Gateway Duplication Project in Brisbane, Queensland as a Human Resources Graduate. She has progressed through various roles within the Group including: Communications Manager within (then) Leighton Contractors Mining Division; Communications Engagement Manager on the Transport Network Reconstruction Program; Communications and Stakeholder Manager as part of the Australia Pacific LNG project; Community Engagement Manager on WestConnex 1A: M4 Widening Project; Communications Manager at CPB Contractors corporate office, through to her current role as CIMIC Communications Manager.
“… the opportunities that are available to really deliver outcomes that improve both our clients and our own businesses, be it on a small or large scale.” Glen Hunt, UGL Group Learning and Development Manager.
Glen joined UGL in 2014 as a Learning and Development Manager, within the Resources Division’s newly formed Centre of Excellence. Glen was focused on developing UGL’s capability in the Liquefied Natural Gas sector where a number of new contracts had been won. Over the next two years the scope expanded to support the range of maintenance and shutdown contracts across Oil and Gas, Mining and Mineral Processing. Glen’s role evolved to Business Engagement Manager, where he took a broader focus on contract improvement through continuous improvement, system and process upgrades, and leveraging new technologies. In November 2019, Glen moved into the newly created Group Learning and Development Manager role in the Corporate People & Culture team.
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