Jorge Martin Gistau

What is your role at Ricardo?
I lead Sustainable Transport projects helping clients in their decarbonisation journey. The most recent ones being the Net Zero Feasibility and Technology Study, and the Strategic Business Case for the Government of South Australia.

What does your average day at Ricardo look like? 
An average day for me would include managing several aspects of the project and also carrying out Business Development activities. For the Sustainable Transport projects, I manage multi-disciplinary teams that include engineers, economists, schedulers, and other key skills required to deliver this type of projects.

My Business Development tasks develop naturally as part of my project roles or thanks to my existing industry connections. I am part of the Australasian Railway Association Young Leaders Advisory Board and this provide me with great networking opportunities.

What do you look forward to at work? 
I am very passionate about decarbonisation and sustainable transport. As such, every day I look forward to opportunities to support partners in our industry that need this type of services.

What do you find most rewarding at work? / Are you proud to work at Ricardo?
Working for Ricardo provides me with the opportunity to stay up to date with current technologies and trends. This is very rewarding as it provides professional development for me and it also helps me delivering better outcomes for our partners and clients.

What was your team’s latest achievement and how was it celebrated?
The most recent achievement was when we delivered the Net Zero Feasibility and Technology Study to the Government of South Australia. We did not have any formal celebrations, but we were awarded the next phased of the project (Strategic Business Case). This was the proof that our client valued the work we had done on the previous Study. Very rewarding!

How have you developed your career at Ricardo? 
Ricardo has supported me with a number of professional development opportunities. Examples of this include when I studied my Executive MBA at AGSM (UNSW) and I took 3.5 months off work to complete an exchange program in the US. Most recently, Ricardo has supported my Engineers Australia chartership.

What do you most enjoy about working with your team?
While I do not have any direct reports, I manage and coordinate large teams on specific projects. What I enjoy most about this is the opportunity to learn from my colleagues and to exchange ideas with colleagues in Australia but also overseas.

What opportunities do you have at Ricardo to share your knowledge or expertise?
I lead an ASEAN-APAC forum where we exchange ideas and opportunities with other colleagues in the region. This is a really good opportunity for me to share some of my knowledge and expertise. I have also presented in a number of public conferences (e.g. AusRAIL in Australia) where I have shared my knowledge with the industry.

If you have had a career break, how has Ricardo supported your return to work?
I had a 3.5-month career break when I studied part of my Executive MBA in the US. Ricardo supported me with this by allowing me to take the time off and to return to my role after that period.

What advice would you give to anyone considering a career as a Sustainable Transport Lead?
It is a great role to be able to positively impact your clients but also the wider society. A role with a purpose!