How Warren Crowther built his career and an insight into JF Hull Holdings

StellarCast

During this episode, Shaun McCambridge, Stellar’s Managing Director, sits down with Warren Crowther, General Manager of JF Hull Holdings. We delve into how Warren has built a successful Civil Engineering career and gain an insight into JF Hull Holdings, a business that he now leads as General Manager.

Warren’s Highlights

1:15 Warren’s journey to becoming a Civil Engineer

3:11 JF Hull the company

6:05 The team & culture

7:50 Leaders of JF Hull

10:00 Warren’s own career and strategies

14:30 Career transitioning

17:00 Vision moving forward

19:15 Warren’s personal drivers

21:20 Future of civil engineering

24:20 Warren’s downtime

26:20 Elevator pitch of JF Hull

Warren’s journey to becoming a Civil Engineer

From a very early age, Warren wanted to become an engineer and went on to complete a Civil Engineering degree. However, it wasn’t until building a bridge in Cape York 3 years after university that it all came together. During this project he had the responsibility of leading a high performing team where he saw it come to life and was able to leave something behind; it was a game changing moment for him.

JF Hull the company

Started in 1977 started by John Hull; from his own home and the workshop in the garage. He was. Always focussed on looking after people and engineering excellence was a driver for him.

These really were the values that the business derived from.

Ever since John started the business there was a focus on integrity and our commitment to customers and partners. The key is that we always put focus on the long-term view, not the short-term; reality is that there is still a commercial element but our approach is long-term; where it is best to take a hit short team rather than damage the partnerships down the track; by doing this, in time you do get a competitive advantage in the market but you must continually come back to it.

The team & culture

We have many longstanding team members with some 10,20,30+ years of service.

Over the years people have really enjoyed the leadership of John Hull, Founder & Chairman and Bruce Graham, Executive Director; they have built a lot of staff loyalty.

The leaders of JF Hull

Together, both John Hull and Graham have been the driving force behind the business.

As highlighted previously, John focussed on people relationships and engineering solutions; Bruce in contrast is the key person on how to run an efficient and competitive contracting business; different but similar in how they are both very strategic and take risks.

Together with two younger long-term employees and myself in the executive board team.

Warren’s own career and strategies

Warren has always had senior people within and outside the civil engineering field that he has been inspired by; those who maintained their integrity, principles and character; people who had the reputation that his “handshake is as good as a contract” and that is few and far between in the competitive civil engineering sector.

Career transitioning

After working at a Tier One company for 15 years on big projects with high profiles, he realised that even though there were great leaders within the company, he wasn’t the same as them. What I perceived as my strengths; others saw it as a weakness.

After 1 year at JF Hull, Warren appreciates being trusted by clients and partners; that the trust is there in the market already. He also enjoys the concentration of highly skilled people as well as working with systems and processes that is based on the KISS principle and that there is a real laser focus on finding the smartest engineering solutions.

Vision moving forward

Consolidate the place that the business has in the market already, which is to be the leading structural specialist in Queensland.

Many people ask Warren if the plan is to grow the business; to this, Warren answers yes and no. If the opportunity is there, then yes but if it isn’t then definitely not; he doesn’t want to be caught in the race to the bottom.

Warren’s personal drivers

His motivation completing an MBA was to differentiate himself from his peers that he was competing against for promotions. Ultimately, he doesn’t feel like it accelerated him but he did learn a lot from the studies; for him, when he compared to what he learnt on the job it was probably minor.

He is a firm believer that what you get out of an MBA is what you put in and he most probably didn’t put enough in with competing family and work priorities.

Future of Civil Engineering

In the short-term situation with COVID, where many people faced economic and health impacts, the reality is that Governments’ during a recession highlight the civil engineering sector as a winner with announcements of projects and initiatives; so there is a very bright and exciting future.

In the long-term there will always be a need for engineering even with emerging technologies such as AI. Apart from the continuing need, the sector itself is embracing diversity, and technology; enabling it to move with the times.

Warren’s downtime

Warren loves road and mountain biking as well as reading.

Best book at the moment is Milkman by Anna Burns; Set in North Belfast, a book with resilience, family and enabled him to reflect on how well we have it now.

Elevator pitch of JF Hull

The business takes practical common sense with specialised tech know how that produces the magical dust; this brings us as business the opportunity for us to work on the most exciting projects with the best partners and clients in Queensland.

Our reason for being is looking after people; and this enables us to provide great career opportunities in an exciting environment.