Our People
Engage Marine chose our name on the back of our desire to openly interact with all stakeholders and each internal team. We believe that the best decisions are quite often made at the front line, where the impact to others is best understood, and that the role of the leaders of the company is to support and encourage this to occur.
Our front line teams, chosen wisely, are the best representation of who we are as a business, and why we are different from a more traditional and centralised decision making hierarchy. Some call this model “Servant Leadership”, as illustrated below;
The key principles in making this model a success are as follows;
1. Humility
Leadership starts with listening and valuing others contributions over asserting authority.
2. Accountability
Owning both successes and failures, and learning from each experience.
3. Acceptance
Embracing diverse perspectives and acknowledging the strength in differences.
4. Authenticity
Being true to one's values and beliefs in all actions and decisions.
5. Courage
The strength to make bold decisions and stand by them, even in the face of adversity
6. Stewardship
Protecting and enhancing the community and environment for future generations.
The way that we implement this strategy is focused on implementing clear locally controlled teams that are engaged under a local company, with guidelines defining the support that the corporate team provide. Some examples of this philosophy in practice are as follows;
Abbot Point
We have a team of over 40 people operating 5 marine assets from our office in Bowen, Queensland. This team provide services to various stakeholders and operate under a local enterprise agreement agreed with the three maritime unions.
All interactions with clients and stakeholders are managed at a local level, with regular service review meetings to discuss operational and contractual performance. Locally devised operating procedures that are tailored for our specific operating requirements in the region are in place, and are compliant with our ISO accreditations at a national level.
Tim De Jager, Tug Master
"At Abbot Point, we’ve built a culture that supports growth and values experience. I started as a GPH and worked my way up to Master with incredible support from the team around me. Everyone here plays a role in creating a safe, respectful and high-performing workplace. It’s a great environment for anyone who wants to learn, take on new challenges and be part of a strong local team."
Rio Tinto
We have a team of over 140 people servicing and supporting Rio Tinto export iron ore from the Pilbara region of Australia. Our collective team is managed by local management presence in Dampier, and supported at a corporate level from our head office in Perth.
Our large local team is divided up into smaller groups, that each have specific responsibility for a single asset in the fleet. By structuring our workforce in this way, we create an ownership culture within each team that look after their asset is if it is their own. The result for our client is an improvement in service delivery, asset upkeep from a maintenance perspective and the cosmetic condition and appearance demonstrating a sense of pride and professionalism.
Mick McCartney, Tug Master
“Our Cape Lambert workforce culture is 2nd to none, Westug Vessel crews are supported by a High functioning shore based team, which enables us to consistently meet our objectives & deliver excellence to the Client. Most of our crews have been in the Port for over a decade, which testifies that it’s a great place to work.”
Sydney
Our team in Sydney is structured in a locally controlled way through the establishment of a Co-Operative. The Co-Op structure creates an alignment between Engage Marine and the local team as joint members in an independent business that provides a service to Engage Marine in accordance with both our requirements and those or our clients and stakeholders.
The structure encourages entrepreneurship at a local level, whilst offering the protection to individual members of established industry standard terms and conditions. The local team have developed over time several improvements to the way we perform business operations and the way in which Engage Marine can support business outcomes.
Dom Mccarron, Tug Master
"Working with Engage Marine in Sydney truly feels amazing, all thanks to our outstanding team. Our local crew consists of incredibly skilled and dedicated professionals who bring so much knowledge and experience to every ship that calls at our world-famous port. They don’t just focus on getting results, they also prioritise creating a safe and supportive work atmosphere. Their commitment to excellence and genuine passion for the marine industry make it a joy to work by their side—it’s both rewarding and inspiring! Plus, we get to enjoy the stunning views of Sydney Harbour, which makes being part of this incredible team even more special."
Corporate Office
The role of our corporate office in Perth is to both support and align the local teams tasked to deliver our services. The underlying culture is that we do not always know best, and by listening to the views of our front line operators we can learn how to improve our support, and improve the establishment of the next local team. The recruitment of the right mindset and beliefs is vital to making this model a success, where hierarchy is avoided unless necessary and interactions are open and transparent.
Gareth Evans, Assistant Finance Manager
“The most rewarding part of this job is getting to know our crews and what we do. As a member of the finance team looking after Cooperatives, I get to see what we do daily and feel a part of it. Listening, and learning from local crews allows me to see how I can tailor the support the finance function provides to empower our local teams as much as possible to deliver the best outcome for themselves, customers, and the communities we’re part of. This gives not just Cooperatives but me a shared sense of purpose which is unique from any job I’ve ever had.”