Managing Director, Bowhill Engineering
Lean Japan Tour, Shinka Management, 2013
Senior Managers Program, Melbourne Business School, 2014

A self-proclaimed “country lad” with a Year 11 certificate, Jeremy Hawkes held little confidence in his academic abilities – or so he thought. With grit and guidance, he secured not one but two ILF grants to study senior business management. As Managing Director of Bowhill Engineering, a second generation family business in the Murraylands, he shares his inspiring leadership story.

“Bowhill staff are driven by a passion best described as together we thrive. We build large and complex structures such as bridges, ferries and mining platforms to high specifications for infrastructure, mining, marine and defence industries. With a team of approximately 50 direct staff, we’re proud of the opportunities we provide for regional careers.

In 2013, the steel fabrication industry was suffering. The statistics were bleak, with 30% of our competition closing its doors on the back of an economic downturn. Even during this challenging period, I was so proud of our leadership team – we dared believe that we could not only survive, but thrive.

But how to do this was the overarching question!

Mark Bell suggested I apply for an ILF study grant. The criteria fit my situation (SA-based leaders passionate to make SA great) but most scholars seemed to have undertaken postgraduate studies, which I felt unqualified and inadequate to participate in. My thinking was that because I was a country lad and “just” a tradesman with a Year 11 certificate, I was somehow inferior to the academics. Thankfully I did not give up and Geoff Vogt, with his support and guidance, was exemplary. With little hope of being chosen, I still went to an info session and put myself forward for a lean tour of Japan with Shinka Management. The process was highly rewarding, and such was the confidence in me from the ILF that I was also successful in securing a grant for an intense management program with the Melbourne Business School in 2014.

My journey from an insecure lad who was “winging it” with no formal management training and no tools in the toolkit (so to speak) has evolved significantly, and Bowhill Engineering has come a long way. The knowledge I’ve gained from the ILF program has contributed to improvements that have transformed the business to the strong position it holds in our industry, growing from 20-something employees in 2013 to 50-plus today. Many of the major steel bridge girders in Adelaide have been supplied by the Bowhill team over the past seven years. We are qualified to the highest level in Australia which allows us to build critical infrastructure in any state and, particularly, the hard-to-crack East Coast. We’ve found that by accumulating latest information, we’ve been able to implement timely improvements incrementally, month-by-month, over decades. I liken it to an onion – layer upon layer, protecting the organisation with systems and procedures. It’s just as the Japanese lean masters suggest – small, seemingly insignificant improvements consistently over time make a profound, long-term performance impact.

But it’s not all about work. A balanced and sustainable attitude towards family, friends and community, with a view to build loving relationships, is the cornerstone of a good person and leader. I’m in it for the long game – work should (and is) my passion but not at the expense of those dear to me. Thankfully I’ve had the opportunity to share my life and work journey with my beautiful and brilliant wife Jodie. I am truly blessed.”