A man with a plan: EthosEnergy’s Systems Global Chief Engineer, Luciano Cordaro

But Luciano Cordaro is no ordinary project engineer.  

For a start, he says he wasn’t born to be an expert… 

Not an expert? 

“There are people born to become true experts in a specific field of engineering. Then there are people like me who are not born to become a subject matter expert, but like to have competence in different fields. And who are able to play a role in between the technical and managerial sides of things.” 

Expertise, however, comes in many forms. People have different strengths. And having spent more than an hour chatting with Luciano, it’s clear that modesty is one of his. 

Luciano’s role may not require him to be a specialist in any particular field. But it does require him to have a knack for communicating with people and getting the best out of them.  

Indeed, that’s one of the things he loves most about his work. Being the point of reference with the overall picture of a complex, multidisciplinary project. 

“You have to understand different topics, so you can have technical discussions with many different specialists and put them in the position to do their best. It's challenging because you have to deal with different problems, different people, different projects. That’s what makes it exciting.” 

Knowing how to get the best out of people 

As Luciano says, 70% of the job is understanding how to work well with different people. It’s a skill he has been honing since a young age. 

“I understood when I was 15 years old that the best way to live together and to work together is to have everybody engaged.” 

That was when Luciano became group leader for Boy Scouts aged 11 to 14. The first of many positions of responsibility. 

“I really took this role seriously. I was very keen not to have anyone in my group with nothing to do.”  

That ability to understand what makes people tick has served Luciano well. As, in turn, it has EthosEnergy. One project, in particular, stands out. 

A memorable moment in a rewarding career 

Our Torino facility specializes in gas turbines. But six years ago it took on a project for rehabilitating and retrofitting a steam turbine. A different kettle of fish altogether. 

But Luciano loves a challenge. It’s one of the reasons he’s a great fit for EthosEnergy.  

“We worked hard both in the office and on site. I followed all the installation, the commissioning, and the start-up of the unit.”  

And so confident was Luciano that the project would be a success, he made a bet with the plant manager about how many megawatts the plant would be able to reach with the revamped turbine up and running.  

It was a bet he won. The resulting power output was even better than the contractual requirements. 

“The plant manager was a great technician and a great person. I’ll always remember when he turned to face me and smiled. That was very rewarding.” 

The plant manager wasn’t the only one who was pleased. 

“The people on site made a stencil with our names to put on the control board door. That was a sign of a great job, but also of a great relationship with the customer. We left the site very happy.”  

So in what way does Luciano think he “failed”? 

In reaching the goals he set for himself. On schedule and according to plan. 

“I always set a three-year plan for my career. And when I say ‘career’ I don’t think in terms of position. I think about building expertise, building knowledge, and building tools I can use in my job.” 

Luciano says he failed the first and second of his three-year plans. Although just as with beauty, failure is in the eye of the beholder. Because while he may not have hit the targets he set – at that point – he certainly collected the tools. 

His first three-year plan included a project management course and certification. Through his then employer, he undertook accredited training. He gained new soft skills. But before he could complete the program, the business became part of a new joint venture, EthosEnergy.  

With a new structure at work, Luciano was encouraged to focus on a project engineering path that would see him go on to become head of department. 

“For me this is a lesson learned. You can set your target and you can fail to hit it, but you can still build something despite not reaching your initial goal. What’s important is to have direction. Maybe the target will come later.” 

That’s precisely what happened in Luciano’s case. For his most recent three-year plan, he returned to university. Two years ago, he obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration, graduating 110/110 from the SAA School of Management at the University of Turin. 

“During the first six years, I collected the tools. I built my expertise, both theoretically and on the job. And then the targets came altogether.” 

Failure? Far from it. His path may have changed, but he picked up valuable skills along the way and reached his destination in the end.  

It’s why Luciano advises young engineers to be brave. Be curious and try different things. Don’t be scared to fail because you can always learn from failure. 

“I had in mind a three-year cycle. But if you plant the correct seed, it will grow over time.”