Winner's story: Manikandan Chandran

Manikandan shared a story reflecting on his journey with Smiths, from starting as an engineer to leading projects across the EMEA region today. In his entry, he highlights the opportunities he’s had to develop his technical and leadership skills.

I started my career at John Crane in 2011 in Bangalore as a Dry Gas Seal System Pre Order Engineer. This role provided me with a strong technical foundation and valuable exposure to customer focused engineering. In 2013, I moved to Dubai through an internal transfer as a Turbomachinery Engineer, which broadened my responsibilities and helped me develop a wider technical and project skill set through diverse opportunities.

Smiths has consistently provided me with opportunities to grow, learn and contribute across the entire project lifecycle. In recognition of this, I received the Smiths Excellence Award for Customer Excellence in 2019 for my comprehensive support on the Qatar offshore project, covering pre bid activities, post order engineering and commissioning support. I was further honoured to receive two additional Smiths Excellence Awards in 2020 and 2022 in the same category for different projects.

These recognitions reflect how Smiths truly values and appreciates employee contributions at a global level, not limited to a single business unit, John Crane, or region.

In 2024, I was given the opportunity to lead Dry Gas Seal System projects across the EMEA region as a Project Manager. Successfully managing projects across multiple regions has been both challenging and rewarding, strengthening my leadership capabilities and project delivery expertise.

My journey demonstrates how Smiths and John Crane support employee growth, trust their people and provide meaningful career opportunities. I am grateful for the continuous support and confidence placed in me, which has helped me grow professionally and contribute meaningfully to the organisation.