Krystle Nichols joined ATC Williams as Senior Principal Hydrogeologist in January 2025. Krystle brings extensive international and Australian groundwater experience into this role, providing comprehensive water services and solutions to clients.
Welcome to ATCW. How are you settling into your new role so far?
I am excited to be working at ATC Williams and bringing my skills to complement the existing team Australia-wide with technical leadership in groundwater. I have started with a national tour of sorts to meet my peers in Melbourne, Perth, and Sunshine Coast. Next month, I plan to meet our team in Newcastle and possibly Hobart to round out the tour. I live in Brisbane and will be based there.
What are you focusing on initially?
I am shoring up a few existing projects while I gain an overview of the company, our clients, and our team members. My role is strategic, and I will be assisting the ATC Williams mission to be a Tier One engineering service provider in the Australian and global markets. Generally, all projects have an element of water, which allows me an opportunity to contribute across the entire business and facilitate meaningful change. I am excited to continue working in the mining sector, which is the foundation of society and forms the base of all supply chains.
Why did you choose to become a hydrogeologist?
Initially, I studied to be a science teacher. However, I quickly realised that it wasn’t for me, and I went back to the drawing board. I set three criteria when looking for a subject to major in: international travel, higher-level technical thinking, and a role that would ultimately contribute to the greater good, enabling me to ‘pay it forward’. Growing up in Michigan, surrounded by the Great Lakes, I was aware that some regions and countries suffer from poor access to potable water. When I found hydrogeology, it ticked all the boxes. It has provided me with a diverse career portfolio and more opportunities than I imagined.
How has your career developed since then?
I like to think that consulting found me, luckily, right out of university. I love wearing many hats and adding value across a variety of roles and markets, working through diverse and multi-faceted challenges. My first job was focused on the remediation of a historic rail yard, the biggest in Houston, along with due diligence projects for investments and divestments for multiple sectors, including oil and gas. The oil and gas industry has a special place in my heart. My father was a driller in the industry during my childhood, and he would always bring home interesting rocks – we even had a rock garden! I probably owe my entire career and interest in geology to my father and those rocks.
As a consultant, I’ve been able to incorporate my passion for travelling into my professional life. I’ve gained a broad range of experience in different geographies across the USA with projects of varying scope and complexities for aviation, oil and gas, linear infrastructure (pipelines, railroads, roads, tunnels), public assets (power and water), and solid waste (hazardous and municipal) industries.
My career brought me to Australia in 2011 for a two-year stint, but the adventure kept expanding. I fell in love with Australia and have remained ever since, travelling to remote locations, including Horn Island and Norfolk Island, and all across the Queensland bush. I have learned that if you keep saying yes, it can lead to some great opportunities in amazing places – more than the little girl from Michigan could have dreamed of.
Do you have any career development advice?
Early in my career, I used to have a ‘work self’, a work personality reflecting what I saw as acceptable in the corporate/professional world, and my ‘real self’, my real personality, which I kept outside of work. Then, I like to say I had a ‘mid-career crisis’. It was too stressful and worrisome to keep being two people every day, so I decided to be me all of the time, and if my employer was not okay with that, I would find a new one.
However, that is when the right people started noticing me and my career trajectory took off. I discovered that soft skills and individuality are assets in the engineering and consulting world. My advice is to embrace your individuality and your personality, even if it is not reflected in your firm or around you. Cliché’s are cliché for a reason, and my best advice is always to be your true self – own who you are, good, bad, and otherwise and not only will you feel more fulfilled personally, but your career and colleagues will too.
I like to think that, after all, I have become a teacher. I enjoy supporting junior staff and helping to guide them to put all the pieces of a puzzle together. Being able to witness that moment when it all clicks into place and the lightbulb goes on, is not only beautiful but fulfilling. A company like ATCW offers the opportunity to support the growth and development of team members on their professional journey in a bespoke market sector. I enjoy being able to bring my experiences from other industries and parts of the world to share them with the junior crew. I encourage them to see and celebrate bringing their whole self to work.
What are you excited about regarding the future of mining?
The mining industry is the place to work if you want to influence positive change in the world. Integral to every aspect of society, mining is an industry in transition, where it is understood that the mines of the future will not look like the mines of the past. Mining is the key to decarbonisation, requiring significant growth to deliver this objective. Water is a critical element that is essential for success.
The mining industry is a developer and proven early adopter of new technologies. Therefore, R&D is another aspect where one can have a significant influence and be a catalyst for positive change. Autonomous vehicles come to mind as an example.
At the end of the day, I love mining and consulting because you can be creative while achieving objectives. Thinking outside the box is an asset in consulting and a large part of what makes it fun. Being involved in an industry at the forefront of transition that celebrates innovation is beyond interesting and super exciting!
