Salah Elhasnaoui

Bis is an organisation made up of people with broad ranging skills and diverse backgrounds. Our Manufacturing Manager at Whyalla in South Australia, Salah Elhasnaoui is no exception.

Salah, which means prayer in Arabic, grew up in Casablanca, Morocco. He has fond childhood memories of his former country’s rich culture and kind people, but it was Australia where he chose to build his home and start his journey with Bis in 2005.

In the early stages of his career with Bis, Salah worked as a labourer and operator but his natural leadership skills shone through. He was promoted to Planner, then Operations Supervisor and Operations Manager at Port Pirie, and for the past two years he has been successfully fulfilling the role of Manufacturing Manager at the Whyalla Steelworks operation in South Australia.

Salah now leads a team of 70 people and manages manufacturing operations including molten slag handling, processing and basic oxygen steelmaking. The 37-year-old’s working life on a full-scale steel operation is a far cry from the career in accounting and finance he imagined when he was in high school.

"Bis offers people opportunities to showcase their talents – there is no limit to where an individual may end up in the business.” – Salah Elhasnaoui, Manufacturing Manager at Whyalla in South Australia.

A typical day for Salah starts with a handover debrief from the outgoing supervisor which includes safety and operational updates, then he attends the daily pre-start meeting where he engages with his team and for the remainder of the day, his role is to ensure that everyone is working safely and effectively to deliver the best outcomes for the client.

Salah says the most rewarding aspects of his job are the privileges of working with great people, setting and achieving challenging targets and delivering for our clients.

“Any type of challenge is a motivation. Challenges create opportunities which could benefit a range of people and clients and that in itself, is motivation to keep going,” Salah said.

Salah’s 10 Questions:

1. What's your first memory of joining Bis Industries?
The people who made feel welcome and supported me from day one.

2. What's the best thing to happen since you started working here?
I was fortunate enough to have someone believe in me and give me an opportunity where I have been able to continuously grow in my roles and progress my professional career.

3. Does your job take any special talents?
The special talent required for my kind of job is being able to lead people, not manage them, by being a good listener and acting on people’s concerns.

4. How would your colleagues and friends describe you?
Protective and passionate about what I do. I strive to see my colleagues succeed and grow.

5. What do you do when you aren't working?
I like spending time with my family, who are my world.

6. What are you passionate about?
My family is my passion, I like to spend as much time as possible with them exploring and doing great things together.

7. What are the personal goals you most want to accomplish?
Be the best at what I do, continue to grow and challenge myself.

8. Do you have any hobbies?
Fishing and Travel.

9. Did you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are?
My father is my mentor, he instilled confidence in me and encouraged me to challenge myself and strive to be the best human being I can possibly be.

10. What do you do every day to stay safe at work?
Everything in life happens for a reason and if you stay focussed on safe practises and procedures you will return home safe at the end of the day.