Employee Spotlight: Nikola Erdelja
For this edition of our popular #TalentedTeamwork series, we meet Nikola Erdelja, who has been a Technical Engineer in the Engineering and Innovation department at Delmec for five years. He recounts what first attracted him to the company, how much he enjoys travelling and meeting new people, and why you won’t find a cheese sandwich in his lunchbox!
Last year saw Delmec win awards from Deloitte and County Carlow Chamber for innovation in our field. These kinds of accolades are the result of hard work and dedication across the entire company, but some of our most exciting developments come from the Delmec Engineering and Innovation department. Technical Engineer Nikola Erdelja has been part of this dynamic team for more than five years.
Nikola first came across Delmec when he was looking for the right role after completing his education in structural engineering in Zagreb, Croatia. “I was searching for a job as a design engineer, and Delmec sounded like a good opportunity to improve my knowledge in steel design,” he recalls. “As it turns out, I gained so much more, including the opportunity to learn new things every day and participate in many different projects around the world.”
Of course, much of our international travel was paused for two years, but this year Nikola found himself back on the road again. His work took him to new places including Dakar, Senegal in April. “That was my first time visiting Africa,” he says. “It was a really interesting experience, and I enjoyed meeting many of the clients and colleagues I had previously only talked to remotely.”
Working closely with clients as a consultant on projects is a part of the job that Nikola relishes. “I like how Delmec is consistently growing, and I’m excited about the direction it’s going in,” he says. “Embarking on projects in Africa, Asia and Europe, opening new offices across the world and providing opportunities for employees to develop themselves is what makes it a special company.”
Nikola’s experience and expertise in infrastructure is in demand throughout our industry, and he’s been invited to participate in roundtable discussions at TowerXchange events. Like everyone in his team, he’s always keen to learn from clients and colleagues, staying ahead of the curve in a fast-moving industry. He also contributes white papers as part of his role, most recently on the important subject of wind and ice loading.
Asked for a little-known fact, Nikola shares with us a somewhat unusual aversion to a common comfort food. “I don’t like cheese,” he laughs. “I’m not allergic, just hate the taste!” Luckily here at Delmec, we welcome diversity, celebrating our cheese-loving and cheese-hating team members alike.
When he’s not at his desk, on a site or representing Delmec, Nikola likes to keep fit. “I like to run and play tennis,” he says. “Before we started working from home, we used to play football at Delmec’s HQ in Carlow and it was great fun — hopefully we can get together to have a kick-about again soon.”
