Chuck your thinking hats on, and your hard ones whilst you’re at it too, as we talk all things sustainable mining, energy, and renewables with Jan Kwak, the General Manager for Hatch Australia and Asia direct from the Hatch headquarters here in Brisbane!

This episode is bound to tickle your fancy as we discuss some of Hatches big-name projects in the news recently, such as the 30+ billion-dollar Sun Cable Project, Cross River Rail Project, Sydney Aerotropolis, Melbourne Metro, and the Sydney Metro. We also delve deep into numerous worldwide buzzing engineering complications such as green hydrogen, grid stability, sustainable cities, nuclear power, green steel, macro energy storage, and most importantly renewable energies. This couldn’t go without mentioning successful implemented engineering projects such as, the Great Lakes underwater energy storage, bio-engineered mosquitos, and even ice roads for trucks!

From small beginnings as an intern at a Canadian soap factory with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering in his pocket, who knew you could spawn an impressive 25-year career in one of the most innovative and ground-breaking engineering consultancies in Australia, Jan certainly didn’t!

Truly embodying the phrase, ‘choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’, Jan has found himself solving, directing and managing some of the most complex problems in sustainable mining across Australia, and it’s safe to say, there’s a lot… Throughout his career, he has managed every aspect of the design and operation of large mines and metallurgical facilities, developing innovative solutions for mining clients, in particular the safety and sustainability surrounding the closures of mines, mine tailings, mining practices, and mining processing procedures.

To top it all off, we delve deep into what it truly means to be a successful leader in the engineering industry, and which skills or attributes will help to place you on the right path for future success, as well as dipping into the importance of policy making and their affects across the engineering industry.

For anyone even remotely considering a career in sustainability, mining, engineering, innovation, or management this episode is PERFECT for you!