In this episode of Engineering Success, Melinda Sietsma interviews Neil Hunt, Managing Director of McLanahan Group, for a conversation that blends personal resilience, engineering leadership, and an extraordinary company legacy spanning 190 years. Neil shares his unconventional career journey, immigrating to Australia and navigating multiple industry pivots, to ultimately leading one of the world’s oldest family-owned engineering businesses. His story looks at how perseverance, curiosity, and the right mentors can shape a remarkable career.

Neil also dives into McLanahan’s fascinating 1835 origins and its evolution from a Civil War-era foundry to a global leader in mineral processing and Australian manufacturing. He offers candid insights into building the brand locally, the strength of the Hunter region’s engineering ecosystem, and the strategic shifts redefining modern mining. Packed with history, leadership lessons, and industry knowledge, this episode is a must-listen for engineers, leaders, and anyone who loves a great story.

Steve Heaton, founder of Xetla Consulting and co‑inventor at STAR Scientific, is demystifying the messy, exhilarating reality of R&D. In conversation with Melinda, Steve traces his winding path from Unix systems and project management to astronomy, particle physics, and muon‑catalyzed fusion, showing how curiosity compounds into career-defining opportunities.

He makes the case for incremental progress when parameter space is uncertain, and why diverse teams outperform look‑alike groups. In the episode, Steve shares practical tools for getting unstuck, designing smarter pilots, and knowing when you’ve squeezed the science enough to start engineering. Tune in to hear from Steve around how to prep for patents, avoid public disclosure traps, and make your expensive time with lawyers count. He also offers a grounded take on energy—plus what the future of energy means for the Hunter’s logistics, workforce transition, and supply chain opportunities.

Books mentioned in the episode:

The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder

The Particle Garden by Gordon Kane

How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner

Annie Lacombe, Head of Engineering at MGA Thermal, shares her path from a modest background to working in oil and gas, food manufacturing, and defense industries across multiple continents. Annie opens up about the challenges of being a woman in male-dominated industries, and how a mentor made a difference.

In this episode, Annie dives into MGA Thermal’s groundbreaking technology that uses aluminium phase-change to store thermal energy, addressing a critical gap in industrial decarbonisation. As both a migrant engineer and working mother, Annie offers valuable insights on building networks in a new country, negotiating fair compensation, and achieving work-life balance through hybrid work arrangements. You won’t want to miss her advice for young engineers, including her two guiding principles: know your engineering rules of thumb, and only say what it is kind and necessary. A must listen for engineers of all career stages.