This month you can get to know Pat Ryan, who has been working for Engenium for a few months as a Project Engineering Manager in our Perth head office. He has extensive experience in the alumina industry and it’s this experience that bought him to work at Engenium, assisting in a project involving Alcoa.
What is your role at Engenium and what does it involve on a day to day basis?
My current role is Project Engineering Manager for several specific projects. The role primarily involves leading the engineering team in their production of the various deliverables associated with the projects. However, the role also includes helping the project managers to build a positive relationship with the respective clients through regular communication and helping those client representatives achieve their goals within Engenium’s scope.
What do you consider to be your areas of speciality and expertise?
I have been fortunate enough to not only have worked in the engineering services or consulting world but also have had extensive experience in an operating alumina refinery in the engineering, maintenance, operations and power station areas. My time there involved engineering, supervisory and management roles. This not only gave me exposure to just about every aspect of mechanical engineering but, of far more value to me, was the appreciation of what it was like to physically operate and maintain designs that engineers were responsible for. One of the valuable lessons I was able to take away from this experience was that one of the best assets an engineer can have, especially when involved in brownfields work, is to listen to and engage with the people in the plant. Quite often they are the best source for practical ideas and workable solutions.
What projects are you currently working on?
I am currently involved with the Alcoa Wagerup Growth Project FEL3 which is starting to wind down and I’m now getting involved in the Roy Hill Debottlenecking Project.
What do you enjoy about working at Engenium?
There are two aspects of working at Engenium that I enjoy the most. One is working with the project engineering team. For me, this has a two way benefit. I enjoy being able to help, guide and develop the team members but I also value learning from them. The second aspect of working at Engenium is the client liaison. If I can build a sense of trust with the client where they consider us as part of their integrated team, whist looking after Engenium’s contractual interest, then we have gone a long way to succeeding.
What inspired you to pursue a career in your field?
Not sure that there was any one thing. I always liked maths and science rather than literature and social sciences and made the decision to go down the mechanical engineering path. It was interesting that two years into my university course life presented another opportunity that would have taken me in a totally different direction. However, after some consideration, I decided to stay with engineering.
What do you love to do outside of your work life?
Apart from time with family, a number of years ago I became involved in a WA based cancer support organisation called Solaris Cancer Care of which I am on their board of directors. I have also been fortunate enough to see and understand the work they do at a grass roots level. This has resulted in, over the last 4 years, fund raising each Saturday in conjunction with a national retailer at a number of their outlets in the Perth metro area. Whist time consuming it is also very rewarding.
What makes you laugh?
Sayings that young kids come out with during casual conversation. They are only reflecting the environment they have been exposed to and sometimes don’t really know the meaning of what they are saying. However, the context in which they say some things leaves me with a smile and wondering what is going on their mind.
Who inspires you?
As mentioned, most Saturdays I spend fund raising at various popular retail outlets with the support of a national retail chain. This involves not only collecting donations people are generous enough to give but also listening to people who want to share the story of their cancer journey. It is surprising just how many people are either directly or indirectly affected and many people just want to talk to someone about it. While I am careful not to offer any treatment suggestions, I do introduce them to the services offered by Solaris Cancer Care and provide them with some literature. However, the inspiring thing for me is how positive many of these people are even though they are going through something that I hope I never experience.
What is your favourite quote?
‘Who Dares Wins’. Apart from a close military association with this motto in a previous life I have found that it rings true when confronted with difficult or challenging situations. It is interesting how different people react when confronted with such situations. Some choose to let it overwhelm them and give up but others take the attitude ‘Who Dares Wins’ and confront the situation head on. They don’t always ‘win’ as such, but, the fact that they do step up and take it on means they come out the other side better for it. I especially see this in some of the stories I hear from people who are challenged with Cancer.
Find out more about our people here, or contact our Perth office to chat to Pat Ryan about your project requirements.