Never one to shy away from an opportunity, Mel took an active role in Macmahon’s interstate and overseas expansion, eagerly relocating to Brisbane as a Senior Purchasing Officer and moving across the ocean to become the Supply Chain Manager for Macmahon Mongolia. Today, Mel brings her extensive experience to fill the role of Perth’s Group Supply Manager.
Mel recently embarked on a new adventure when she became a mum to her little Lincoln. As a first-time mum, she has felt very supported at Macmahon who have held her position for 12 months, allowing her to cherish precious and memorable milestones with her baby. Mel is currently on maternity leave and is looking forward to returning later this year.
Living by the motto that the devil is in the detail, Mel has learnt that the key to good commercial decisions is by thoroughly analysing and modelling your data. With qualifications in supply chain management as well as management and leadership, it is no wonder that Mel is such a solid team member for Macmahon.
Not only does she lead sourcing projects to meet organisational and operational requirements with ease, Mel is also a natural leader who can be counted on to develop and maintain strong relationships with everyone from suppliers to subcontractors and her team members.
No matter what role she’s been in, Mel has always counted herself lucky that she’s been surrounded by a strong team with plenty of experience and knowledge to share. As a leader, Mel believes in working closely with new team members to give them the best possible start to their Macmahon journey.
“I like to give them an in-depth overview of the Macmahon Group, our key sites and where they are located and our key strategic suppliers,” Mel said.
Sharing this information provides the individual with a great platform to work off, and they seem to kick goals immediately!”
Mel has seen two decades of growth, change and challenges at Macmahon. Mel considers 2014’s economic downturn and its impact on contract closures to have been the most significant challenge for her personally. But with every challenge comes an opportunity to grow, and Mel knew she needed to come together with her team to do all she could to keep their site running as efficiently as possible.
“The teamwork forged off the back of that is indescribable and paved the way for the next fight of Macmahon’s life which was to fend off the takeover attempt by CIMIC.”
In Mel’s role today, she is still challenged by the ongoing effects of COVID-19, particularly by its impacts on the supply chain. She is grateful for Macmahon’s dedication to supporting smaller suppliers by building long-standing solid relationships with key strategic partners. Without those key relationships to rely on, she believes they’d struggle to get through supply shortages.
Mel contributes to more than just the success of the supply team, playing a leading role in training Macmahon’s team for the MACA Cancer 200 Ride for Research. No matter how cold it gets, she always looks forward to the Saturday morning training rides, which are filled with laughter, banter and support – not to mention a hot coffee at the end!
“The ride means so much to everyone that participates, and it’s an unbelievable feeling when riding the 200km. The support received during the ride gives you that extra bit of energy just to keep going and not give up,” Mel said.
Once she’s back from maternity leave Mel is excited to continue riding in 2022 – but can’t promise she’ll be very fast!
Outside of work, Mel is a keen traveller who enjoys exploring WA with her little family. She’s looking forward to getting over to the east to catch up with her family soon and is excited to continue to grow as a new parent.
