Duncan Mallord

Please provide your current role:

I wear a few hats. I’m a project and portfolio manager, the Australia lead for the Alliances team, and the Adelaide location manager. I also run the KAM for the BHP Southern Copper Precinct and chair the AUA region D&I committee.

Why do you believe in diversity and inclusion?

I believe everyone has a right to be treated equally, no matter their gender, race, sexual orientation, or disability. More specifically in Hatch, we are a company of problem solvers. It has been demonstrated many times that a team with a wide diversity of thought will produce better results. To enable this diversity, we need to create an inclusive atmosphere to encourage people with different backgrounds to join and engage at Hatch. Diverse and inclusive teams are what set Hatch apart and enable us to tackle those difficult and complex problems for our clients.

What do you think we need to do as individuals to improve inclusivity?

I think we need to recognize that we are all multi-faceted and we should make an effort to engage with our colleagues on as many levels as makes sense, not just as an engineer working on a deliverable. This will generate more connections between people, but also more connections to interesting and challenging opportunities. We need to challenge apathy and status quo type thinking, and continuously improve. It’s a really interesting and rewarding journey we are on.

What does positive change mean to you?

To me, positive change is an attitude. It recognizes that we need to change, which is often not easy, but the reason, the motivation, the why we are working hard—looking for great solutions—is because we are having a positive impact on the world. It is so much more fun working with people who have this attitude, passion, and approach.

What do you think are the toughest challenges facing our clients?

The global energy transition is driving our clients to increase their engagement with companies across sectors that they do not usually operate in. This is shaking up the industries we work in and the political environments are critical to enabling a stable market place so that our clients can make informed decisions. The rate of change, the types of stakeholders, and the investment models, mean that the traditional waterfall style of project delivery can become a hindrance rather than a safe bet. We need to develop innovative solutions, not just in the physical process, but also how we develop the solutions. This is an ideal situation for us to work collaboratively with our clients across the range of skills and knowledge within Hatch.

What are you most proud of?

I’m of course, really proud of my family; and for this article focused on work, I’m really proud of the Adelaide team, the diversity in skills, experience, gender, nationality, and the growth we have seen and managed.

What do you like most about working at Hatch? How do you think the Hatch culture is different from other companies?

I like the people. No matter how good the job is, it’s always the people that you are working with that make it fun and interesting. The flat structure and autonomy we have requires us to connect directly with our colleagues, clients, and partners. It’s this wide and supportive network of amazing people that makes the difference for me.