Altrad : Sustaining Australia’s Essential Infrastructure

Having supported Australia’s industrial growth for over 40 years, Altrad is one of the nation’s most recognised industrial service providers. Brendan Chaplyn, CEO, takes us on a journey through the company’s vast capabilities and plans for the future.

SUSTAINING AUSTRALIA’S ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

The oil and gas industry is in a period of significant change and opportunity. Traditional energy markets continue to require reliable, safe, and efficient industrial support, whilst at the same time we are seeing growing investment in new energy infrastructure, decarbonisation initiatives, and broader industrial developments.”

The challenge for many organisations within the modern industry is balancing today’s requirements with tomorrow’s opportunities. As noted by Brendan Chaplyn, CEO of Altrad Australia and the broader Asia Pacific (APAC) region, this creates a very dynamic environment, one where businesses must be flexible.

“For companies like Altrad, it is an exciting place to operate because our capability spans the full asset lifecycle, which positions us to support clients regardless of where they are in that journey,” he continues.

Specifically, Altrad is a global leader in industrial services, operating in more than 50 countries, employing 65,000 people, and supporting customers across the energy, oil and gas, resources, infrastructure, manufacturing, and construction sectors.

In Australia and across the broader APAC region, the company’s services span maintenance, shutdowns, and project delivery, specialising in insulation, coatings, mechanical services, fabrication, engineering support, and access, formwork, shoring, and other temporary works solutions.

Altrad supports some of the world’s leading operators and contractors, often on highly complex and critical assets where safety, reliability, and performance are essential.

“Ultimately, our role is to help customers improve productivity, extend asset life, and execute projects safely and efficiently,” details Chaplyn.

“Our breadth of capability is certainly important, but capability alone doesn’t differentiate businesses anymore.”

What truly serves to differentiate Altrad is its people and culture. The company focuses heavily on long-term partnerships rather than transactional relationships and wants clients to see it as an extension of their team rather than simply a contractor.

Additionally, Altrad combines the strength and resources of a global organisation with local decision-making and responsiveness. Such balance enables it to bring scale and expertise whilst remaining close to customers and communities.

HARNESSING POSSIBILITIES, TOGETHER

Chaplyn has spent nearly two decades across industrial services, engineering, and project environments, progressing through operational and leadership roles before becoming CEO of Altrad Australia and APAC. Throughout this journey, he’s had the opportunity to work across maintenance, construction, major projects, and broader business leadership roles.

“What attracted me to the industry initially was its scale and complexity. Few sectors bring together such a diverse mix of technical capability, people, logistics, and problem-solving,” he expands.

“You are continually working in environments where what you do genuinely matters, whether that is supporting critical energy infrastructure, major resource projects, or helping clients improve safety and performance.”

What has also kept Chaplyn passionate about the industry is the people. With industrial services being built around strong teams, practical leadership, and individuals working together in challenging environments to deliver outcomes safely and efficiently, there is an innate sense of camaraderie and pride in what people achieve together, making it an incredibly rewarding environment.

“The industry also never stands still. Technology evolves, markets shift, and expectations continue to rise, so there is always another challenge to solve and opportunity to improve,” he continues.

To ride this continuous wave of innovation and evolution, Chaplyn’s leadership philosophy centres around visibility, communication, and empowerment to cultivate a culture that balances high performance with genuine care for people.

He strongly believes that leadership starts with visibility.

“People want leaders who are present, approachable, and willing to listen. Whether that is visiting project sites, speaking directly with teams, or maintaining regular communication across the business, visibility creates trust,” he asserts.

Chaplyn also believes people perform their best when expectations are clear and they feel empowered to contribute. High performance and care for people don’t have to be competing ideas; rather, they are closely linked. When people feel valued, respected, and connected to a broader purpose, performance improves.

“My role is to create an environment where people can succeed. We focus on creating opportunities for development and growth, recognising achievements, and ensuring people understand how they contribute to broader business outcomes. People want more than a job; they want purpose, opportunity, and leadership that supports them,” he notes.

DRIVEN BY PEOPLE, DEFINED BY PERFORMANCE

Altrad has worked diligently to remain a partner of choice for its clients whilst maintaining a safe, inclusive, and high-performing workplace.

Clients seek partners who are trusted to deliver safely, consistently, and collaboratively, which only happens when the right culture, capable people, and strong leadership are present throughout the organisation.

“At Altrad, safety is non-negotiable and forms the foundation of everything we do. But maintaining a safe and high-performing workplace today goes beyond systems and compliance. It requires visible leadership, clear expectations, and an environment where people feel respected, empowered, and confident to speak up,” Chaplyn insights.

The company also places a strong emphasis on building engaged teams and creating a culture where accountability and care for people exist cohesively. When team members feel valued and supported, performance naturally improves, and that mindset flows through to the quality of service provided to Altrad’s clients.

From a client perspective, consistency is critical, as they want the confidence that every team representing the company will deliver to the same high standard, regardless of project size or location. Altrad achieves this consistency through strong operational discipline, investment in its people, continuous improvement, and a genuine collaborative mindset.

“Our goal is to be not simply a contractor, but a long-term trusted partner that clients rely on to help solve problems, improve performance, and deliver critical work safely and efficiently,” enthuses Chaplyn.

Altrad’s dedication to being a long-term collaborator can be directly observed in the projects and investments it engages in. Growth and entrepreneurship are deeply embedded in the company’s DNA.

Globally, Altrad has been built through a combination of organic growth, strategic acquisitions, and the integration of complementary capabilities, and that mindset continues to shape its direction across Australia and the broader APAC region.

Over the past year, a major focus for the company has been strengthening its integrated industrial services model and bringing Altrad capabilities together across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). This includes proceeding to expand service offerings, invest in operational capability, and create a more connected business that can deliver larger and more complex solutions.

“We are also continuing to invest in our facilities, operating asset base, engineering capability, and operational systems that improve productivity, support scalability, and strengthen long-term performance,” explains Chaplyn.

From a project perspective, Altrad continues to support major energy, resources, and industrial clients across maintenance, shutdowns, and project delivery activities. Of particular importance is the company’s ability to combine multiple service lines into integrated solutions rather than operating in silos.

Clients increasingly want partners who simplify delivery, improve coordination, and provide broader capability across the asset lifecycle, and that is an area where Altrad is well-positioned.

SHAPING THE INDUSTRY’S TOMORROW

Of crucial importance to the success of Altrad are the relationships it maintains.

“Strong supplier and partner relationships are critical to the success of our business and the outcomes we deliver for clients,” affirms Chaplyn.

“At Altrad, we see suppliers and partners as an extension of our broader value chain rather than just vendors. In industrial services, reliable supply chains directly influence safety, quality, productivity, and project execution, particularly across large-scale maintenance and project environments where timing and coordination are critical.”

As a global organisation, the company manages a significant outsourced services and supply chain network valued at approximately USD$2.5 billion, providing it with access to broad capability, global procurement strength, and strategic supplier relationships across multiple regions and sectors.

Across the APAC region alone, Altrad’s outsourced services and supply chain spend represent nearly USD$250 million supporting major operations and projects throughout ANZ and broader regional markets.

“We place significant emphasis on developing long-term partnerships built on trust, transparency, performance, and shared objectives. Long-standing relationships generally deliver stronger outcomes than short-term transactional approaches because they create alignment, improve collaboration, and support innovation and continuous improvement over time,” Chaplyn observes.

Importantly, strong supply chain partners also help to strengthen local capability, support communities, and improve resilience across the company’s operations and those of its clients.

Alongside bolstering its various relationships, Altrad’s priorities as it looks ahead are centred around continuing to strengthen business performance, growing sustainably into new markets whilst strengthening its regional presence, building greater capability across the organisation, and pursuing opportunities that complement its long-term strategic direction.

“We see significant opportunities across both traditional and emerging sectors, particularly as clients continue to seek partners who can provide integrated capability, operational reliability, and long-term value,” states Chaplyn.

A key focus for the company will be continuing to grow the business in a disciplined and strategic manner, both organically and through opportunities that enable its capability, geographic reach, and service offering to increase.

Altrad will also maintain its investment in its people, operational excellence, technology, and broader business capability whilst upholding a keen focus on safety, customer outcomes, and long-term partnerships.

“Altrad has a strong global heritage, but what excites me most is the future. We have a clear ambition and strong foundations, but our focus is not simply growth for the sake of growth – it is building a stronger, more capable organisation that creates lasting value for customers, employees, and communities,” concludes Chaplyn.

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