From the rugged mountains of the Hela Province to becoming a trailblazer in Papua New Guinea's welding and quality assurance industry, Lionel has forged an extraordinary career built on hard work, determination, and a commitment to excellence.
Lionel’s journey with Monos began in 2010, when he joined the team in PNG as a Trades Assistant. Like many young Papua New Guineans entering the industry, he started at the ground level, eager to learn and willing to put in the hard work required to succeed.
Over the years, Lional has progressed through the ranks, transitioning across Dual Tradesperson, Boilermaker and Fitter & Turner disciplines.
Throughout his career, Lionel has continued to expand his technical capabilities, becoming a qualified welder to both ASME IX and AS 2885 standards, including specialised competencies in pressure equipment and in-service welding of pipelines, critical for the energy industry.
Last year, he was the first PNG-qualified national to develop a Procedure Qualification Record (PQR) and Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) on-site aligned to AS 2885.2, with the WPS receiving approval from the Central Welding Group and the customer with zero revisions.
And now, after completing a four-week intensive course with Weld Australia, Lionel has become the PNG nation’s first AS 1796 Certificate 10 Welding Supervisor.
“I always wanted to continue to broaden my technical knowledge and contribute to industry standards,” Lionel said, reflecting on his achievements.
Lionel has recently been promoted to the Site Quality Coordinator role, becoming the first PNG national to assume a position that has previously only been held by Australians.
“I have been supported enormously by the Monadelphous PNG operational team, particularly my mentor and good friend, Lymon Pahau,” Lionel said.
“I want to show other aspiring tradespeople and professionals across the country that we can lead and attain the highest international standards of welding, inspection and quality assurance.”
Not one to sit back and take it easy, Lionel is also currently completing the NACE/AMPP Coating Inspector Certification.
Monadelphous is committed to investing in local talent and nationalising the workforce, with 83 per cent of our PNG workforce comprised of PNG nationals.