Luke is a Project Manager and Engineer with experience in the resources sector. My experience is in managing and leading design and construction projects on complex processing facilities, performance improvement and management assurance.
He has a broad range of experiences supported by Mechanical Engineering and MBA qualifications and he is recognised as a Fellow of Engineers Australia and a certified Project Management Professional. Leadership roles have included the delivery of energy transition projects, detailed engineering design, civil works, structural construction, equipment manufacturing, subsea installation, information management and brownfield operational changes.
His key areas of expertise include coaching and mentoring, problem solving and communicating with stakeholders at all levels of the organisation. He has a passion for creating high performing autonomous teams that work harmoniously to deliver results, share knowledge and continuously improve safety and production performance.
Keeping an open mind
When I started my career I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had alot of trouble choosing a University degree and took some time off after school to try and figure it out. I have always tried to keep an open mind and grab good opportunities when they come up.
I have always gravitated toward being involved with companies and projects which will leave a positive and sustainable legacy. As a result, I am now enjoying what I am doing very much and have the fortune to lead a great team of engineers managing energy transition based projects across Asia Pacific.
Services on high demand
Workload predictability.
There is a rapidly growing demand for people to work on energy transition projects so our services are in high demand. At the same time, many project developers are reluctant to fully commit, so they will engage us to do some early phase work, and then it could go quiet for a few months or a few years, and then it is all systems go again!
This presents a challenge in smoothing the workload of a team of engineers, project managers and specialists, which is a common consulting challenge. Drought and Flood!
Sharing wisdom
Most of my mentors have been people within the organisation that I have been working. I have found that the vast majority of people are very open to being a mentor, particularly those who are later in their career and want to share some of their wisdom. The burden of the relationship should fall to the mentee. i.e. as a mentee you should drive the discussions and be clear what you want to get from the relationship.
Two particular mentors come to mind; Matt and Sotiri, who were both my direct supervisors for a short period, but even now that I work for a different company I get in touch with them and seek their advice and feedback on different challenges..
Most important aspect for development at UWA
Networking with your peers.
I guarantee you that you will run into your peers again over the course of your career. You may need their help on something, they might be able to introduce you to someone else, you might work for one another.
Approach networking with the view of 'how can I help the other person' as opposed to 'what is in it for me'. This attitude generates reciprocity and you will find that the ultimate benefit for you and your peer is far greater.
Broadening my perspectives
I often reflect on the lessons and musings from my MBA which I completed from 2013-2015. Most often I think of the examples that were shared by my class mates where they were sharing experiences from within their workplace or industry. I've drawn many parallels between their examples and the situation I have been facing. In some cases I have also reached out to them directly in years following to better understand how they resolved their challenge.
Be prepared and open
Try to meet someone new every day.
Attend lectures rather than just listening to them online.
Read your syllabus and create a calendar to map out all due dates, tests, exams etc so that you don't get caught out.
Join some clubs and try to get involved in life on campus.
Attend the events that the university offers, such as networking, clubs events etc.
Choose your groups for group assignments wisely, as you will work well with some people and your style might not work well with others.