Rail businesses across Australia are under pressure to secure the skills they need for the future.

For Swietelsky Rail Australia (SRA), that meant taking a deliberate approach to recruitment in 2024, bringing in talented people from overseas while also backing strong local recruits here at home.

The campaign strengthened capability across maintenance, engineering and operations. It added depth to key roles, supported succession planning, improved knowledge resilience and reduced reliance on external contractors.

Among those recruited internationally were George Massih, Reliability Engineer, from India; Sam Nicholls, Plant Manager, from the United Kingdom; Matthew Harris, Plant Supervisor, from the United Kingdom; and Jean El Chami, Project Engineer, from the United Arab Emirates.

For SRA, the goal was not simply to fill roles.

“This was never just about looking overseas to fill roles. It was about fostering all talent and attracting great people internationally, backing great people locally, and building a workforce where capability, values and opportunity come together to make us stronger now and prepared for the future.” SRA Managing Director Anne Connors shared.

For Matthew Harris, the path to SRA began with a visit from the UK to support upcoming projects. It quickly showed him the range of work across the business.

“What attracted me to the role and to SRA was the range in different work activities across the business,” Harris said. “From maintaining the machines, to mobilising the plant to worksites and operating the equipment – then seeing the delivery of the project the whole way through, I really enjoy the variety.”

Now working as Plant Supervisor, Harris said the move to Australia was made much easier by the support around him.

“Everyone’s journey is different and challenging in different ways, but the efforts made by team members at SRA and their families helped me massively with adjusting to a new life in Australia and SRA, both in and outside of work,” he said.

He said one of the biggest surprises has been how easily he has settled into both the team and life in Australia.

“Although sometimes there is still a comical language barrier (and that works both ways), I was surprised how easy it was to fit in with everyone here at SRA and everyone I’ve met outside of the business in my new home of Australia.”

George Massih’s experience reflects another side of the campaign. For him, the attraction was the chance to grow professionally while joining a globally recognised name with a strong history in rail.

“I was attracted to the role because it offered a great opportunity for professional growth and the chance to contribute to meaningful projects,” Massih said.

“Swietelsky is a well-known name globally with a strong history in the industry, which made the organisation very attractive to be part of.”

Relocating to Australia came with some early adjustment, but Massih said the support available made a real difference.

“Relocating to Australia and joining the business was both exciting and a little challenging at first,” he said. “However, the transition became much easier with the strong internal and external support available.”

As Reliability Engineer, he enjoys combining deep technical experience with broader collaboration across the business.

“Working with people from different backgrounds and countries allows us to learn from each other’s experiences and share knowledge, which makes the work even more rewarding,” he said.

Massih has also been named a finalist in the Emerging Leader of the Year category at the 2026 Australian Heavy Haul Rail Awards; alongside his leader, Ben Senior, named a finalist in Industry Champion. The SRA team is also a finalist in the Rail Impact Excellence Award: Sustainability & Social Responsibility. Readers can view the full list of finalists and cast their vote via the public voting page before 5pm AWST on Friday, 10 April 2026.

The campaign also reflects SRA’s commitment to local talent.

Local recruit Ben Berry recently spoke about being able to access paid parental leave almost immediately after joining the business. A clear example of how SRA’s family-inclusive approach is designed to support people through important life stages, regardless of tenure.

“Thanks to SRA’s flexible parental leave policy, I was able to access paid parental leave immediately, with no waiting period,” Berry said.

“Having that time with my daughter was something you can’t put a price on, and it showed me I work for a company that genuinely supports its people from day one.”

At the centre of all of this is culture.

SRA operates in a high-risk, safety-critical environment, where wellbeing, inclusion and support are critical to performance. Its people-first approach is grounded in its values of Family, Integrity, Respect and Excellence, and supported through wellbeing initiatives, leadership accountability and inclusive policies.

“When people join SRA, we want them to feel genuinely welcomed, supported and set up to succeed,” Connors said.

“That matters just as much for someone relocating from overseas as it does for a local employee starting a new chapter with us. Inclusive culture is how we build strong teams, retain good people and deliver results for our clients.”

SRA’s team includes five nationalities and 10 cultural backgrounds. That diversity is helping shape a stronger, more capable workforce for the future.

For SRA, the value of the campaign is seen in the people behind it – people who have built their careers in Australia, people who have brought expertise from overseas, and people already helping shape the future of the business.

“I am incredibly proud of both the people behind this story and entire team,” Connors said.

“It speaks to the kind of business we are building – one that values character, skill, diversity of experience and a genuine sense of belonging.

“Rail is an industry built by people, and our future will be strongest when we continue to back talent from every pathway and every background.”