December 18, 2025 in News
Celebrating Excellence at the 2025 AMCA National Indust...
A.G. Coombs is proud to announce that six of our team members have been recognised at the 2025 AMCA National Industry Excellence Awards, held in Melbo...
December 19, 2023
Kristina Spachis, NG Bailey (UK) Transformation Manager and International Peer Group, Talent Exchange Program recipient.
Kristina Spachis, NG Bailey (UK) Transformation Manager and International Peer Group, Talent Exchange Program recipient.
Lauren Wilson, U.S. Engineering (USA) Project Manager Engineer and International Peer Group, Talent Exchange Program recipient.
Lauren Wilson, U.S. Engineering (USA) Project Manager Engineer and International Peer Group, Talent Exchange Program recipient.
Working for a company that sincerely values its people and offers an international exchange program definitely has its perks.
A.G. Coombs is a proud member of a unique International Peer Group that includes NG Bailey in the UK and U.S. Engineering in the USA. The three independent companies are all trusted leaders in their respective markets and share similar values when it comes to their focus on their people and providing the best possible opportunities for personal and professional development.
The inaugural talent exchange participants
This year marked the introduction of the Talent Exchange Program for the International Peer Group. Project Management Engineer Lauren Wilson from U.S. Engineering in Colorado and Transformation Manager Kristina Spachis from NG Bailey in Leeds had the opportunity to experience the benefits of the inaugural exchange program firsthand with a three-month residency at A.G. Coombs based in Melbourne.
At the same time, A.G. Coombs Senior Engineer, Emily McKernan expanded her horizons with a three-month stint at NG Bailey while Project Engineer, Paul Adcock diversified his skills at U.S. Engineering.
For each of the participants, the exchange was a life-changing experience and one that will no doubt help shape the rest of their career in the engineering and building services sector.
Continual learning, growth and overcoming fears
When interviewed about her experience, Kristina expressed how much she had learnt both personally and professionally during her stay in Melbourne. In particular, she applauded the investment that each company was making in its people and felt a strong connection with the family culture of A.G. Coombs. She got to travel to different A.G. Coombs offices around the country and even faced her fear of heights at the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane high-rise construction site.
“The culture here at A.G. Coombs really is one of family, but also that sense of teamwork. When you come into the office, you really get the sense that people are coming together to work, that they like working together, and that they like spending time together. So, it’s a really positive atmosphere. I definitely feel a bit more uplifted being here and it’s in every aspect of my interactions with people,” commented Kristina.
“One of the key highlights I’ve learned is A.G. Coombs’ human approach to ‘whole-of-life’ building services. [A.G. Coombs] design it, build it, install it and maintain it. And then [in the future]… there are more projects that can come on board, maybe advising the client, which then results in more projects, which we can then hopefully service moving forward. And I think that’s something that NG Bailey could really take from A.G. Coombs,” she added.
A transformative opportunity both professionally and personally
Likewise, Lauren was impressed with her A.G. Coombs tenure and recognised opportunities to share the knowledge she gained once she returned home.
“There are a lot of things that A.G. Coombs does that would be really beneficial at U.S. Engineering. I think the biggest one… is the culture and structure of continuous improvement you have here. It’s really amazing to see how that impacts your company across the board and how those projects can really develop from any place in the business and grow,” Lauren said.
“Professionally, it was such a great opportunity to see a different perspective… especially the leadership and business improvement training that A.G. Coombs provides to everybody in the business. Giving everybody that same language to talk about change and their ideas in a way that can reach all the way up to the Advisory Board is really powerful.”
“The A.G. Coombs culture prioritises people above all else and I think that’s ultimately what I was looking for. Coming here and feeling immediately comfortable just because everybody is that way and everybody is excited to be here and work together and have that sense of community. It made me excited to come to work every day,” she added.
Balancing work with the extra-curricular
The Talent Exchange Program wasn’t ‘all work and no play.’ Both Lauren and Kristina took advantage of being far from home together and used it as a chance to discover new places, make new friends (both human and animal) and visit some of the Victoria’s world-class tourism attractions.
They particularly enjoyed the comradery and celebrations of the 1,000+ guests at the A.G. Coombs Awards Night and the sheer size and roar of the 100,000 crowd at the AFL Grand Final.
A.G. Coombs – the place to work
Working at A.G. Coombs – and its International Peer Group companies in the US and UK – provides employees with a myriad of opportunities to participate in programs that will boost their expertise and further develop their skills.
Although the Talent Exchange Program is a selective process, it is just one of the ways that A.G. Coombs expresses its core value of ‘Excellence through People’ – highlighting that true organisational excellence is only achieved by the development and empowerment of our most important asset ‘Our People.’
“Our people remain our most important asset, and it is through their hard word, commitment and care that we continue to achieve excellence for our clients,” stated Russell Telford, A.G. Coombs Group Managing Director.
“I would absolutely recommend this program to anybody in our companies. It has been so transformative. My advice to the other people who are given this opportunity in the future would just be to step outside of your comfort zone. I feel like, even just in just a short time, there’s so many benefits to be gained for both companies and the individuals. It really is so unique for our industry,” Lauren commented.
“I would recommend the Talent Exchange Program to other people… It really is worth that investment. You just learn and grow so much. For anybody who is thinking about applying, just go for it. You never know, you might be the person selected,” Kristina said.
