ABHR spoke to Tom Hicks, manager of decarbonisation at Bechtel and member of the ASBSH.
I have been a member of ASBSH since… 2018. I joined ASBSH because I felt my role was leading away from the technical side of bulk materials handling engineering and was looking for a group with whom I could stay connected and engaged.
I am a member of ASBSH because… I want to be part of a community which grows the discipline expertise and knowledge base. I’ve been a passive member since joining but made the personal commitment 12 months ago to increase my involvement and give back. After making this commitment I took on the role as the Technical Convenor for Queensland and the standards committee for AS 3774.
I got into bulk handling… while studying at the University of Wollongong and enjoyed the BMH courses led by Peter Wypych which I found practical and applicable, I then took on my graduate position working for a small engineering consulting firm who specialised in materials handling design and maintenance. One then led to another, and I’ve now been working in the field for over 20 years.
I am currently researching… solutions to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions intensity in the mining and minerals processing industries to help the mining industry simultaneously increase production while reducing emissions towards net zero.
I love my current work because… I can influence the energy and cost efficiency of the facilities which will be operating for the next 30 years. We have an amazing opportunity to make strategic decisions now that will influence the technical and environmental, social, and governance performance of our plants and industry, and I believe I am helping to frame these projects and leave a positive legacy.
In my role it’s important to… be realistic transparent and conscious of the risks to make sure we get the right balance between technical risk and certainty of outcome.
The project I am most proud of is… the Jimblebar project. This was the first major project I completed with an engineering leadership role and was part of the team that took the design from concept study through commissioning and handover. There is something truly rewarding when you hand over a facility that you developed from the initial hand sketch block flow diagrams and concepts and followed through every stage of project development.
I am inspired by… leaders with integrity who have the vision to lead a team, the drive to deliver on the commitments and goals, but also the ability to teach train and develop the leaders and experts of the future. I have been lucky to have several informal mentors over my career who supported my professional growth, allowing me to take stretch roles whilst providing a safety net if I needed it.
The most valuable lesson I have learned is… engineering is a team sport. To be truly effective as an engineer or engineering leader it is critical to understand the motives and drivers of each of the different customers and functions. To get to a highly functioning team alignment and compromise is key.
My plans for the future are… to take on a leadership role within a bulk materials handling project. Developing the design and execution plans, and then delivering on those is a fast paced, dynamic, and extremely rewarding part of the engineering discipline.
When I am not working you will probably find me… with my wife Delphie and four boys Charlie, Jasper, Louis and Hamish, and when time permits taking some time out to ride road or mountain bikes, or at home in my workshop building guitars.