Larry Platt – Looking back, looking forward

Those who have worked with Larry Platt, or know him through other avenues, understand his passion for all things science, engineering and technology and have an appreciation of where that passion comes from.

As Larry is approaching 60 years of working life, with over half of that time running his own business, we invited him to reflect on engineering, business, leadership and how people and context interact to produce fascinating outcomes. Larry talks about what’s changed, what’s stayed the same – and what we should take heed of for the future.

Science and technology always fascinated Larry, and as a young boy he was very interested in machinery and playing with chemicals to understand how things worked. He collected rocks to analyse for mineral content and he joined the local Star Club to be with other lovers of astronomy.

Much to Larry’s mother’s dismay, his father helped him convert the family’s laundry into a chemistry lab. Here Larry could store his chemicals and his collection of scientific apparatus and perform all manner of experiments, satisfying his curious mind and learning skills along the way.

Such was Larry’s drive to be a part of the world of science that he sought and secured a job as a trainee chemist with Australian Iron and Steel (now Bluescope) in Wollongong. Living in the company workers’ quarters with some of the other 20,000 workers was far from glamorous, but Larry thrived, doing what he loved for a living and quickly learning various analytical techniques.

By the age of 18, Larry was supervising other laboratory staff, showing them how to operate the specialist equipment used to analyse process water systems, wastewater and iron and steel.

To this day Larry is a strong supporter of practical experience for engineering students. His own experience convinced him that engineers should be getting their hands dirty while studying, and that they have a lot to learn from tradespeople and other workers whose day-to-day work has them on the toolstools facing practical realities.

“I believe the TAFE system is the ideal place for engineers to hone practical skills. TAFEs could be working hand-in-hand with universities to help us produce well-rounded engineers who know how to use the equipment they will be expecting others to use or might even be designing one day.”

In his 14 years with BHP, Larry learned Process Engineering, with experience including designing parts of coke oven batteries, by-product plants and fume treatment plants. When asked about the major lessons from that period, Larry cites that he learned it was acceptable to make mistakes if you also knew how to fix them. He was quick to qualify that not every work context can accommodate mistakes.

Larry also said of his time at BHP that it’s where he “learned how to do things.” It wasn’t until his next job when he believes he learned to do things WELL.

“In a consultancy, with a client paying for the work, you just can’t afford to make mistakes. I would expect that all those lessons have already been learned.”

Now a qualified engineer, Larry commenced working at Eastern Nitrogen (now Orica) as the project engineer in charge of converting the plant from diesel and gas-oil feedstock to natural gas.

In his five years at Eastern Nitrogen Larry experienced a work environment where quality was highly valued. These lessons have served him well ever since, and everyone who works with or for Larry knows that every job must be done properly. Sloppy work practices have no place in Larry’s world.

The next chapter of Larry’s working life was the one that propelled him towards business ownership. At Varley Engineering, Larry took on an enormous project to convert a ship from gas turbine/electric propulsion burning diesel fuel to multiple diesel/electric engines using Bunker C oil, also known as heavy fuel oil. This complex project involved designing systems to heat and filter the oil fuel and strengthening the ship’s steel structures to support the heavy engines.

While at Varley, Larry had the idea to create a consulting arm of the company to provide services to other big industry in the region. He had made strong connections with colleagues in his previous roles at BHP and Eastern Nitrogen so he had a list of influential contacts in industry.

Varley management took Larry’s recommendation on board and so ‘Varley Technical Services’ consulting was born. This precursor to ‘Invartech’ (a contraction of Innovation, Varley and Technology’) grew under Larry’s leadership and gained a strong reputation for their work, including the planning of major overhauls and shutdowns of plants.

Larry jumped at the opportunity, and with a very helpful line of credit offered by Varley (which was paid back in full within the first year), Invartech was off and running as Larry’s first foray into business ownership. A lucrative contract to design a chemical plant for Bayer in Wyong launched Invartech as a major consulting business in the Hunter region.

To reinforce its independence from Varley, and to avoid confusion with a similarly named company, Invartech changed its name to Advitech Pty Ltd in September 1994. 15 years later, following the creation of Novecom and the acquisition of Hushpak Engineering, Advitech had expanded its offering to include environmental monitoring technologies and noise attenuation expertise. With a growing collection of technical businesses, Larry and other directors created the Advitech Group as an overarching STEM&M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Manufacturing) organisation.

The Advitech Group grew and evolved as Larry and his senior team of co-directors developed new capabilities for the business. With strategic recruitments to add new strings to the Advitech Group bow and some timely company acquisitions, the family of companies under Larry’s directorship covered a broad range of engineering, environmental and technical services.

Larry’s ‘secret sauce’ for success is a combination of agility, flexibility and entrepreneurship. In the early 1990’s, Australia was going through the ‘recession we had to have’ and big industry was shedding talented scientists and engineers.

Recognising that engineering services were fundamental to the operations and development of large industry, Larry saw opportunities for his consulting business. He went on to employ a number of the recently redundant engineers and subsequently provided much needed services to the industries of the region.

“You’ve got to be able to take advantage of opportunities and to do that you’ve got to be aware of the environment you’re in. There was work to be done and there was a pool of recently unemployed talent. I hired them to build our capability and we got the work.”

In philosophy, systems theory, science and art, ‘emergence’ occurs when an entity is observed to have properties its parts do not have on their own. Emergence theory helps explain how complex, higher-order structures and behaviours can spontaneously arise in complex adaptive systems through the collective interactions of simpler elements, without centralised control.

Larry is a strong proponent of leadership that enables the benefits of emergence in business and, in 2021 when Advitech Group underwent a rebranding exercise, he suggested the name ‘Emergent Group’ to reflect that its companies operated in a complex ecosystem of interactions.

Emergent Group does not employ a traditional top-down brand hierarchy but rather a central, supporting nexus between brands. Emergent Group’s ethos is that all the individual moving parts come together to work as a collective whole for stronger outcomes.

“I see interactions between a business’s staff and clients and government and broader society as forming a complex ecosystem in which various random ‘collisions’ lead to a web of events and outcomes.”

When you ask Larry what makes a successful business, apart from being adaptable and willing to change, he talks about employing good people. Larry is very honest and loyal with his employees, and he expects the same in return.

To illustrate what he means by good people, he cites two examples of people who have been with the business a long time and have been instrumental in making it what it is today.

In 1989, Larry was working on a project for Newcastle rail building company Goninan. It was there that he came across a young Mechanical Engineer, Steven Smith. Larry saw in him the sort of qualities he admired; technical talent and solid character. Later, when the time was right for Steven, Larry made him an offer, and neither of them ever looked back.

“Hiring Steven was one of the best things I ever did.”

As Steven’s leadership skills developed, Larry promoted him, and today Steven is Managing Director of Emergent Group and Advitech. Larry now entrusts Steven with the day-to-day running of the business of about 100 employees. Of course Larry remains on the Executive team and contributes to overall strategy and major business decisions.

The other person Larry pointed out was Rochelle Georgiou, who Larry hired back in the Invartech days and who is now the Office Administrator with oversight of HR, payroll and accounts functions. Rochelle has been with the business for 36 years and has grown and adapted with it and has gathered an enormous amount of corporate memory which she shares with Larry and Steven.

Larry and his executive team are still great spotters of talent and achieve much satisfaction in seeing their people thrive and grow professionally and add value to the business.

The culture in which the people of Emergent Group work is collaborative and collegial, and that is no accident. When a prospective employee is interviewed, Larry and his team look for ‘fit’ with the company. That’s not to say that everyone must be a ‘cookie cutter’ replica of all those before them. Larry certainly understands well the value of diversity of background and experience. They hire people who they believe embody the values of the business and are not driven by ego and status.

“Everyone in this business is important, no matter what their role. We won’t tolerate precious individuals who think they’re better than others.”

Larry believes that trust within a business is crucial. He values honesty very highly and cautions his employees against doing anything ‘under the table’. He’s always open to discuss and debate courses of action, but maintains that this can only occur in an honest and open environment.

Larry has high standards for the leadership team, insisting that they strive to stick to any promises they make and avoid the erosion of trust due to unrealised expectations.

“We’re all stakeholders in this business and we’re more likely to succeed if we work together.”

The articulated values of Emergent Group have evolved over the years and have been discussed and developed as a collective.  This approach has led to greater employee  investment in the values, with everyone having a stake in upholding them.

This attention to the overall character of the business has served it well, with Emergent Group companies being well regarded by clients, business communities and professional associations.

Larry has always sought to innovate and grow professionally, improve business and technical practices and provide better outcomes for clients and the community. He understands that a business doesn’t thrive in isolation, and that shared knowledge, resources and ambitions lead to shared success.

Larry is an entrepreneur who supports entrepreneurs. As a founding member of the Hunter Angels Group, Larry used his own funds to help fledgling businesses flourish in the Hunter region. His faith in good ideas, smart people and his generous mentorship has helped the Hunter region survive and thrive through radical changes in the industrial landscape.

“Sitting alongside other business leaders, including those from very different sectors like law, financial services or retail, enables you to encounter different perspectives and approaches. There’s always something to learn from the experiences of others.”

Larry’s community leadership is exemplified by his past position as Chairman of the Australian Industry Group’s Manufacturing Innovation Cluster. The Initiative was formed in 2013 and its membership comprised Hunter based manufacturers, researchers, and educators.

Formal recognition is not something that Larry seeks but his significant contribution to the Hunter Region has been recognised, with Advitech Group being showcased by the Hunter 2013 Innovation Scorecard. His personal contribution to the development of the Hunter region has been recognised by the University of Newcastle, as the recipient of the 2015 Leonard Award for Innovation.

Larry’s unwavering vision for a brighter future for his business and others in the region has been inspirational. Even through challenging economic times, Larry has been able to instil confidence in his employees that with the right approach, the business will survive.

Larry has witnessed some dramatic changes over the period of his working life. He notes accelerations in technology and increased concern for the environment as two factors in a changing business context.

An example he cites of technological advancement is in process control systems. When he started out in the steelworks, such instruments were driven by pneumatic technology, then came along analogue electrical followed by digital electronic control devices. Now we’re entering a time of artificial intelligence being deployed in control systems.

Larry has seen management styles evolve over time. He recalls a time of ‘command and control’ when the boss had all the power. This approach, he believes, leads to an ‘us and them’ dynamic and results in disquiet and conflict such as unions versus management battles.

“Polarisation is not effective. I prefer an environment where people find common ground and can sit and talk about issues.”

What doesn’t change, according to Larry, are the fundamentals of science, such as the laws of physics and chemistry. He believes that the scientific method is solid and following that approach will lead to better outcomes. Larry is wary of shortcuts to conclusions as they can result in the proliferation of untruths.

When asked what Larry wishes for the future of Emergent Group, he is quick to talk about growth. He doesn’t mean that in the sense of expanding profits for the company, but more so in terms of what the business can accomplish.

“A bigger Emergent Group, with more people, can have broader capabilities and will be better placed to tackle the challenges that come society’s way.”

Larry wants Australia to embrace manufacturing again and to become leaders in invention.  He laments the buying in of technologies rather than looking at the possibilities of producing something better. He believes banks and other investors have a role to play here and that they should back local entrepreneurship in order to build new industries and jobs for our young people to aspire to.

“My passion is this country and what it needs, and above all it needs good leadership to make bold decisions for the country’s long-term future, not just popular outcomes.”

Larry’s son Glenn, an accomplished electrical engineer and academic who is known globally for his work in renewable energy, joined the business in 2022 as its first Executive Director – Strategy and Innovation.

Glenn’s technical knowledge, leadership experience and academic and business connections have perfectly placed him to guide Emergent Group into the future. His passion for creating a better world has shaped what he believes are the big global challenges that we should be tackling.

With Glenn joining the executive team, along with Larry, Steven, Paul Reynolds (Chief Operating Officer of Advitech), Jeremy Pola (Managing Director of Novecom), Jeff Berg (General Manager of Acubis) and Sarah King (Group Manager – Shared Services), the business is forging new paths, entering new areas of endeavour such as Environment, Social and Governance.

To describe Larry’s legacy, one would have to look at the myriad benefits to the multitude of clients Emergent Group companies have served. You’d have to take into account his influence in the engineering community and his impact on the careers of hundreds of engineers, scientists and other professionals.

When asked to consider what advice Larry would give to his younger self, his answer was a simple distillation of all of his life lessons and experiences.

“Seek your dream and go for it.”