This month, we were thrilled to announce the appointment of Robert Skerman as our newest Senior Engineer.
Robert has extensive experience with Defence projects, stemming from his long and rich history in the shipbuilding sector.
Growing up in Sydney, Robert’s fascination for boats took hold at a young age. His father had grown up sailing, and Robert followed in his footsteps by joining the high school rowing team and getting involved in as many water sports as he could.
After studying naval architecture at university, Robert’s career began in the Queensland shipyards where he worked on and off for over a decade before moving to Dubai. Living in the Middle East was certainly a memorable experience, and saw Robert spend 3 years in ship building for aluminium crew boats and marinas, as well as oil and gas construction.
He returned to Australia in 2010, establishing himself in Adelaide where he spent several years working on submarine sustainment and upgrades. Now with a young family, Robert and his wife then decided to move to Sydney where he took 12 months off to be a stay-at-home dad before relocating to Canberra.
For almost 10 years now, Robert has been transferring his naval experience to the Defence sector which he says offers lots of exciting challenges.
“The projects are always interesting, and I enjoy working through complex needs to find the best possible solutions. It’s great to be in a position where I can contribute the skills and experience I’ve developed over the course of my career to these unique situations.
“In particular, I appreciate the front end of engineering – setting up teams and processes, building capability, and understanding how all aspects of a project need to fit together to make it successful.”
Of joining Geodetica, Robert says he is truly excited by the opportunities to grow and be part of where the business is going.
“I had worked with Jason, Oliver and Patrick before, and they’re people I really get along with and respect which is important. We have the same attitude and I’ve always believed that the culture and people you work with is just as important as the work you do.”
When he’s not solving tough engineering challenges, Robert loves to spend time with family and get outdoors any chance he gets.
“I’m always running the kids around to sport and activities, but in my own time I enjoy playing piano and video games. Whenever I can I’ll go mountain biking or for a ride around the lake, and our family loves to go skiing in the winter.
“We also try to travel any chance we get, so we’ve taken the kids all around Australia and to a few countries overseas. Our next trip will be to Korea where my mum was born, so the kids can learn about a new culture and experience some of their heritage.”