Five Minutes with Adam Creek
A lineage rich in engineering and a passion for the ocean has resulted in a rewarding career for Adam. We spent 5 Minutes with Adam Creek, the State Manager, Commercial and Strategy (Victoria) and National Environmental Manager FMG Engineering, to learn more.
What drew you to environmental Engineering as a career?
I am a third generation engineer – both my dad and grandfather were engineers. My grandfather was actually the most senior engineer at Fortress Darwin during the second world war in the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers for the Australian Army. It was destined to be, I guess. My love of the ocean and sailing took me down the environmental pathway during my civil engineering studies, as Environmental Engineering was not a course at that time.
What’s the most rewarding part of your role?
I enjoy watching people advance in their careers. It is rewarding when you bump into someone you helped during their career and see how you have influenced their growth. I also like having a positive impact on the environment. Working with clients to improve the environment is always rewarding.
What career advice do you have for those starting out in this industry?
Take on everything that is offered to you at the start. You don’t know which pathway will be for you in the consulting world. You might want to stay very technical, take on project management or move into client management. Some move into management and people management. At the start, be flexible and give everything a go to see where your passion truly lies.
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee. During Covid I bought a magnificent Italian coffee machine to ensure I have the right start to the day.
If you could give your past-self one piece of advice what would it be?
I learnt very early on that a good leader always needs to have a well-oiled reverse gear. Give things a go, most things can be sorted or fixed if it doesn’t work out.
Do you have a personal mantra or a quote that inspires you?
Growth. Not about numbers or dollars as that is an outcome. It is about the growth of people and teams that I push for most.
Is there a standout project from your time with FMG? What makes it special?
I don’t have a favorite, yet. I do find the multi-disciplinary projects that FMG is tendering on really fun. Bringing teams together to solve our clients’ problems or to deliver new and exciting projects is always special.
Also, like most consultants, I get a sense of pride pointing out projects that I’ve contributed to while driving around town.
What do you like about working with FMG?
I like the people and the drive to do the right thing both for staff and the business. While FMG is striving for growth, they also are not trying to be all things to all people.
