Back in 2012, Mat joined Macmahon as part of the WesTrac team, helping to mobilise a new CAT fleet to the Tropicana Gold Mine project and was promoted to Superintendent within five years.
My job has changed over the years from a supervisor to where I am now. The business has grown dramatically, and with that, the responsibility.”
Mat’s enjoyed getting the support of Macmahon through training and mentoring and now draws on these leadership skills that enabled him to get off the tools.
As a Superintendent, Mat oversees the day-to-day running of the maintenance team and the equipment, ensuring everyone works safely, has a safe working environment, and is adequately trained. He also provides the equipment that meets the projected reliability and availability targets and keeps a watchful eye on monthly costs and the longer-term planned maintenance.
Mat sets high standards for himself and others and is proud of all the projects he’s had the opportunity to work on and the people he’s worked with. However, Mt Morgans is a stand-out project where he felt he and others in his team positively impacted the safety culture and greatly improved the way the team worked together.
“The by-product was getting the gear back into a better state, which provided good reliability and availability of the equipment so the operations team could hit their targets.”
Asked about the best thing about working at Macmahon, Mat said, “that’s easy, working with our people. There’s no better feeling than helping to build a team environment and watching it grow.”
Speaking of people, Mat said he’s been fortunate to have a couple of good mentors over the years and cites hard conversations with constructive feedback have helped develop him more than a pat on the back. “I now have a clear strategy to break down problems, look at situations methodically and put solutions in place.”
As expected, times have changed in 10 years, and Mat thinks workforce diversity and learning how new management styles can successfully incorporate different working cultures is one of the main benefits.
I started back in the late 80s, so a lot has changed; that being said, I feel that Macmahon has strived to build a very diverse working environment.”
Keeping Macmahon’s fleet in tip-top condition in the harsh environments we operate is a challenge. However, Mat tries to focus on maintaining a level head, especially when it gets hectic or things don’t go to plan.
Mat has some great advice for aspiring Superintendents – Don’t assume anything. Collect the facts, verify the facts then make your decision based on the facts. Sage words, Mat!
Mat has thrived in his career, starting back in the UK before moving to Canada with Caterpillar before returning to Australia. Macmahon also allowed him to travel back to Europe, which Mat recalls with great pride.
“I flew business class with Emirates to Germany to inspect a new fleet of 793F trucks. The whole experience was a privilege, and Macmahon was kind enough to fly me from Germany to the UK to spend some time with my family, whom I hadn’t seen for six years – now that’s looking after your people!”
At the end of the day, Mat looks forward to going on break and getting out in the 4×4, out bush or off the beaten track somewhere, clearing his head ready for the next round.
