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Our Stories 21 September 2022

Humans of Bis - Aaron Thiele

In June 2022, Aaron marked his 10-year work anniversary whilst also being promoted to Manager, Bulk Materials Handling. Over his decade of service, Aaron has garnered three promotions, making his journey from WHS advisor on the ground in Whyalla into the operational space.

Remarking on his journey, Aaron says “I have always wanted to shift to an operations role and that is another great thing about Bis. You get to transition your career through all different opportunities”.

Aaron joined Bis in 2012 as a WHS advisor for parts of the Whyalla Steelworks. Soon after, there was a promotion to Senior WHS Advisor to cover the entire operation at Whyalla.

“Bis got my attention as the nature of the work is so diverse and the thought of being part of and actively contributing to a solution appealed to me.”

With eight years under his belt, Aaron became an integral member of the local team and his role continued to grow with Bis. “In 2020, I was offered the role of Safety and Sustainability Manager - South East which looks after our Whyalla (SA), Boyer (Tas), and Port Kembla (NSW) sites,” Aaron says.

Naturally, with exposure to multiple sites and a passion and commitment to his role earned him a promotion to Manager, Bulk Materials Handling.

Aaron says excitedly, “Even though I am new to the role, I have been around the business for over 10 years so my first task is to build new relationships and understand the way all the pieces join together”.

“The most enjoyable part of the work is when I am part of a solution that gets implemented that makes things easier for everyone.”

Reflecting on who inspires him, Aaron quickly says, “Professionally, Hadyn Shepherd [Bis Regional Manager South East] inspires me,” he says. “Hadyn is able to withstand enormous amounts of pressure in his role but still displays a true and honest care for the people that work for him. He has always attempted to provide me with an environment to succeed in. I can only hope that I do the same for the people that work with me.”

In his new role, Aaron has even more razor sharp focus to continue to develop his understanding of the operations side of the business and broaden his exposure to other Bis’ projects around Australia. 

“If you have a solution along with some determination and resilience, you have the power to make a big difference within this company – and the industry as a whole.”

During his years at Bis, Aaron likes all the different machines at Whyalla but one especially is his favourite, the Slag Pot Carrier.

“Actually, the Slag Pot Carrier is my favourite. This beast moves molten material from the Blast Furnace at Whyalla and pours it into pits to cool and process. I always enjoy watching a slag pot being poured.”

In his downtime, Aaron keeps himself grounded by being a keen reader, particular of Sydney-native and New York Times bestselling author Matthew Reilly. “I get his new releases as soon as possible and I have generally finished them within a few days. His books read like a high velocity action movie and they are hard to put down,” Aaron says. Aaron can also play the guitar and used to sing in a band in a few clubs and pubs throughout Eyre Peninsula.

“I love fishing or metal detecting finding old coins and relics, both of which allow me to completely switch off from day-to-day life.”

And what if Aaron wasn’t in his current career? Well that is simple for Aaron, he says, “I would put my passion for people and sharing information to good use and be a tour guide taking people on boat tours in some rainforest river or the top end!”

Whilst that sounds like an amazing job, we are happy and value Aaron being part of the Bis team!