Ever wonder what life is like behind the scenes at RSGx? We sat down with Senior Business Development Manager Paul Hughes to discuss his current role, his favourite parts of the job and the road he took to get where he is today.
Tell us a bit about your background.
I was born and raised in Western Sydney, with a short three-year stint in the UK between 1991 and 1994. I left school at 15 to complete a trade as a Boilermaker/ Pressure Welder, which to this day I believe is the best thing I ever did.
I have been very fortunate in my career, and always challenged myself in new roles where I didn’t know anyone or knew nothing about the company. Moving from Operations to Business Development was almost a natural progression – the skills and experience I’d gained in those earlier roles really translated well and set me up for success. After all, you need people to trust who you are and what you do, and it’s still a process of making sure you hold yourself and your team accountable to deliver.
Outside of work, I love spending time with my family, keeping active, playing cricket, mountain biking and I’m also a huge MotoGP fan.
Describe your role at RSGx, including any key challenges or successes to date.
My current role involves identifying key opportunities, clients and customers for our business across Australia, as well as identifying and facilitating new areas of business for future growth. I am responsible for assisting the team with tendering and quoting, creating, managing and supporting critical relationships and partnerships, working with the team to implement key strategies and processes, supporting Senior Management across the lifecycle of an opportunity, tender or project, and also supporting the National team in any capacity required to deliver what we offer.
Basically, I make things happen!
Like many people, the biggest challenge I’ve faced in my role over the past 18 months has been COVID-19. Normally, we would be travelling every week for various projects and opportunities, but the pandemic has meant that we’ve had to start delivering our plans remotely. I find that you just can’t harness the same kind of energy as you can from working with your team in person, so that has been a barrier we’ve had to adapt to.
In terms of successes, I am most proud of having supported strong national growth, breaking into new industries, commencing with some major partnerships, and gaining the trust of our new clients, customers and partners. And of course, bringing the team and the company together in such a short time is a success in itself!
What about your day-to-day activities surprise people when you tell them about it?
Who we are competing with, the clients we are working with, the projects we are involved with, how rapid our growth and success is, the team we have and how we are doing it!
What’s the best part of the job?
Working with the team at RSGx is the best thing for me. It’s by far the highest-performing team I have ever worked with, and it’s a real privilege to be a part of it.
Which skills would you say are most important for success in the job that you do?
Communication, persistence, determination, patience, flexibility, trust and consistency – these skills and qualities are essential for success as a Business Development Manager, and are things I have actively cultivated throughout my career.
To learn more about the fantastic team at RSGx or for information on our mechanical, electrical and instrumentation services, feel free toreach out to us today.