IN THE DEEP END
The book covers SRK’s journey from its formation in Johannesburg, South Africa, by Oskar Steffen, Andy Robertson and Hendrik Kirsten in 1974 to its global presence today
Photo by: Duane Daws
Global engineering consultancy SRK Consulting launched its fortieth anniversary book – SRK: 40 years in the deep end – during this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, which took place in February at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The book covers SRK’s journey from its formation in Johannesburg, South Africa, by Oskar Steffen, Andy Robertson and Hendrik Kirsten in 1974 to its global presence today.
“Reliving SRK’s past through the stories in this remarkable book has reminded us of the main reason for SRK’s success – the high calibre of its people. Thrown in at the deep end and expected to swim, numerous individuals have risen to the challenge and performed at levels exceeding even their own aspirations,” group chairperson Mike Armitage said at the launch.
SRK’s formation is described by the book’s author, Ian Mulgrew, as an “overachieving, intellectual individualism, a work-hard, play-hard professional camaraderie within a loose communal framework”.
“We set out to take in young people every year so that we could continually bring the latest technologies into the business,” says Kirsten, adding that, early on, SRK invited an overseas professor to spend his sabbatical in the office, which later became a regular practice.
According to Steffen, what mattered most was “getting the best people in their field . . . and keeping the best by giving them the freedom to grow.”
SRK chairperson Graham Howell points out that the group now has a presence in 20 countries on six continents, with quality systems to improve integration between the various practices and continuously raise the bar of global standards.
“SRK’s culture endures despite its size, binding colleagues in pursuit of excellence,” he concludes.