Meet Matt Stephens

Matt first heard about Beca as a university student and has since built a rewarding career working with us as an industrial mechanical engineer in our Auckland office. From working on pulp and paper mills in New Zealand, to mining and metal plants across Oceania, Matt gives us an insight into Beca’s people-focused culture, his proudest professional achievement as well as sharing some handy tips for fresh graduates.

What attracted you to Beca initially?

I first became aware of Beca through a graduate day at my university. They’re a well-known brand in New Zealand and seemed to be a highly professional company from a graduate’s point of view.

On your first day at Beca, what stood out to you?

The culture. Beca has a really nice people-focused culture, with a friendly workplace environment made up of vibrant and energetic staff!

What sort of projects have you been involved in?

Since I joined Beca, I’ve been involved in all sorts of Industrial projects, including pulp and paper, food and beverage, metal and mining and manufacturing projects across New Zealand, Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea.

What has been your favourite accomplishment at Beca?

I was the construction manager on an unplanned project where we replaced a 12 meter diameter bull gear in Indonesia, which over a 30 day period cost the client 35 million in lost production revenue. This was a high pressure project with elevated responsibility for myself, which I hadn’t experienced before. But it was great to be able to respond positively and proactively, delivering a great result for the client!

What gets you out of bed every morning?

The variety of work and knowing that every bit of work I do has a positive impact somewhere. Having a lot of autonomy in what I choose to do is another big bonus of working for Beca.

How does the work you do ‘make everyday better’ for our clients and communities?

The work I do is focused on developing ways for people to do their jobs more efficiently, so they can get their work done much faster and spend more time with their family.

What advice would you give to developing professionals? 

It’s important that people don’t pigeon hole you into a particular way of thinking. If there is an opportunity you come across in your job that interests you and you think you could make a positive contribution, then jump on it! It’s better to move with forward momentum than to wait around for something to happen.

What does the next 12 months hold for you? 

I have a suite of projects I’ll be working on with Ravensdown (a fertiliser plant based in Napier). I’ll also be developing cloud-based computing applications for effectively managing shutdowns with other clients.

Beca’s Industrial team are hiring intermediate level mechanical engineers – what are you looking for in a new colleague? 

Someone with enthusiasm for their job, a good technical (mechanical engineering) capability and the ability to transfer their technical skills to areas they have no previous exposure to.

Outside of your work at Beca, what do you love to do?

I like to keep active with my family and can be found doing anything from kite surfing, to skiing and hiking!

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