Michael Connelly, Managing Director at Project Materials Australia
This month, we are pleased to introduce Michael Connelly, who has spent more than 30 years working across steel, resources and energy, building a career grounded in technical knowledge, long‑term relationships and global experience.
As Managing Director of Project Materials Australia, Michael leads the delivery of specialised steel materials and solutions for complex energy and infrastructure projects. The business supplies products across the energy value chain, including coated linepipe, valves, induction bends, pig launchers and receivers, fabricated spools and structural steel for onshore and offshore applications.
Michael joined Energy Club WA a decade ago and says the organisation’s inclusive, practical approach to industry engagement is what keeps him involved.
“There’s a genuine willingness to work collaboratively, particularly with sponsors, to ensure everyone gets meaningful value and exposure,” he says. “That sense of connection is what sets Energy Club WA apart.”
Michael’s career pathway has been anything but linear. He began with ANZ Bank in Melbourne before moving into steel sales with Tubemakers (now MRC) in 1989. Over the next ten years, he held a range of sales and leadership roles across steel products, before taking a planned break overseas.
That break took him to Spain, where he spent two years teaching English to business executives; an experience that would prove personally significant, including meeting his future wife.
Returning to Australia, Michael re‑entered the steel industry, taking on senior sales roles at Orrcon and later Marubeni Itochu Steel. In 2009, driven by a long‑held ambition to build something from the ground up, he established Project Materials Australia, with the support of its parent company, to set up and grow the business locally.
Today, the Australian operation forms part of a global organisation headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, with Michael a shareholder and Managing Director of the Australian business. The broader Project Materials Group will mark its 20-year anniversary in December, reflecting two decades of growth across international markets.
More recently, the business has rebranded from PM Piping to the PM Group to better reflect the evolution of its capabilities and services beyond piping supply. The change reinforces a unified global team and more clearly represents what the business has developed into since its early beginnings.
Projects have included supporting Woodside’s Pluto 2 development, working with Bechtel to deliver approximately 11,000 valves over a two‑year period, as well as a 75‑kilometre pipeline package incorporating major fabricated components. The business also supports mining and energy clients across West Africa.
“Starting the business in 2009 and still going strong in 2026 is incredibly satisfying,” he says. “It’s been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, but without question the most rewarding.”
Michael credits the success of the business to his team in Australia and the ongoing support of the wider Project Materials Group internationally.
Outside of work, Michael enjoys staying active through tennis, golf and reformer Pilates. He follows AFL, spends time with his family and travels regularly to Vietnam and Europe, often combining personal trips with visits to the group’s German head office. He is married with three daughters.
As a long‑standing member, Michael brings practical experience, perspective and a strong collaborative mindset to the Energy Club WA network. His continued involvement reflects the value of steady leadership and industry knowledge in shaping constructive connections across the sector.