Kathryn
Lynam

What influenced you to join Hitachi?
In 2000, I was awarded business trainee of the year in Tasmania. From there, I worked in business and accounting roles. Up until a change of life circumstances took me to Darwin, where I started with Hitachi as Administration Manager in 2009. Four years later, I moved to Perth and managed admin for the western region before settling into my current role at Emerald, which has been the perfect place to raise daughters.

What personal attributes and opportunities have helped you succeed?
I have a love for policies, procedures, auditing and data which makes for the right mix for administration. I enjoy being the go-to person, and purposely revise policies to understand the business better. I also have a bachelor of science in human nutrition. In my role, I enjoy making things happen and helping the business run smoothly. I assist with all types of paperwork, HR, customer enquiries, WHS, QA and projects. Most of all, I enjoy helping others and working towards impactful causes. I get to know so many people in our Hitachi network and share information with them. It has been challenging, as each branch is so different to the next. However, I have had some great mentors and support of the Management Teams, which has allowed me to grow in my role. It is inspiring to watch Hitachi and its people grow.

Have you managed good work/life balance in your role?
I am fortunate to have been able to take up both maternity leave and study leave. I appreciated being able to return to my same role after maternity leave, which made the transition easier from being one person, to a mum of two children under 3 with a FIFO husband. Thanks to my managers, who also understood the challenges of parenting, I maintained a good work/life balance.