Reflecting on a rewarding journey at Monadelphous

This week we had a virtual coffee with Jo Strother, who has worked with Monadelphous since 2008. Jo has been involved with many exciting projects you should know about over the years. Find out about her 14-year career journey (and counting!) at Monadelphous.

What is your current role at Monadelphous?

I am the role of Project Support Officer in the Engineering Construction division (EC), however my position title has changed many times over the years. In this time, I have gained experience in all different elements of project execution, and in my role now, I assist all the EC projects at varying times when additional support is needed. For example, support is always required at kick-off, mobilisation and with contract management and claims throughout.

How did your journey at Monadelphous begin? 

My journey at Monadelphous started back in 2008 after a two-hour phone interview about a new role that was looking to implement on the Newman Mining Hub Project. I started in the Applecross office for a few weeks of training before I was shipped off to site to begin my new role as a Technical Officer.  The vision for the new role was for me to work with the engineers to support contract management/compliance.

What was it like to work at Monadelphous then?

Monadelphous was absolutely buzzing when I started, there was a continuous stream of projects one after the other, so there was always work (not quite as much as when the boom eventually came, but enough to keep us all on our toes).

I was only in the Applecross office for a short time but I still remember the day we moved into the Victoria Park office and how flash and new it was, I probably didn’t realise at the time but on reflection this was such a significant milestone in the Monadelphous history. I started on level 5 of the new building and to this day, have many memorable moments on that floor.

Similar to how Monadelphous is at present day, back when I started one of the biggest enjoyments of the work environment was the people involved and supportive culture. There were (as there is today) many challenging days, but we always find a way to move forward as a team.

What do you enjoy about your role on projects?

Variety. For me the variety of different projects, different locations, different roles and a combination of Perth and site-based roles are my biggest enjoyment.

I have been so lucky to be able to experience so many different roles and elements of the business over the years and that has meant that no two days have been the same.

It can be very dynamic at times, sometimes even a little scary – but I always look back on my experiences as enjoyable, and to me that’s what matters.

What’s the best thing about working at Monadelphous?

The people for sure!  I have formed some of my closest (and best) friendships during my 14 years with Monadelphous. These friendships have been formed both on site and in the office. 

When you work on site, often you hear people say that you become a little family and I couldn’t agree more, sometimes the “family” is what gets you through some of the longer swings away.

We have a lot of longevity here and one thing I love is seeing people around the office or on site that have been here as long as me or longer, sometimes I don’t see them for a few years and then all of a sudden they pop up on a new project and it feels like no time has passed at all.

Apart from employee numbers growing, the business has developed too. How have you seen the company grow? I have to say, one of the most pleasing things I have seen through the business over the years is an increase in the diversity of people employed on our projects over the years, particularly in site-based roles. I’m excited to see this improve even further in coming years.

Expanding further into the international markets has been another growth that I have witnessed (and worked on), it’s amazing to think the company has expanded internationally in what is a relatively short period of time.

I have also seen a significant change in our community and social involvement over the years, it makes you proud to be part of a company that continues to support the community in many different ways.

Is there someone that stands out, or did you have a mentor?

There is no person that I can single out, and I think that’s really the best thing about Monadelphous. I’ve had so many people guide and support me over the years both in my work and also my personal life. Sometimes people were mentoring me and I’m certain they didn’t even know they were doing it at them time!

What’s kept you around?

I have enjoyed it! As I touched on earlier, I have worked in both FIFO and office-based roles in many different capacities which has given me a great understanding of what we do at Monadelphous. I feel privileged that I have been able to progress into different roles allowing me to develop and expand my own knowledge, which Monadelphous has always supported. These days I enjoy continuing to learn, but also using my “Monadelphous knowledge” to help others learn and develop their own knowledge as they start (and progress) their own journeys.

I mentioned this earlier as well, however the people, the friendships, the laughs, the banter and the sense of achievement we get as a team have certainly been the biggest part of me sticking around for this long, and I can’t see that changing!