Robert Francki

Director since: 2005 

Robert Francki joined Hatch immediately following his graduation from Queen’s University in Canada in 1986 with an Honors B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering.

His numerous leadership positions included an early role heading Hatch’s Furnace Technology Group. In South Africa, he led the regional Non-Ferrous business for four years before becoming Managing Director for Africa. After eight years in the region, he returned to Canada where he was appointed Global Managing Director for the Light Metals business unit and then Deputy Project Manager for the Koniambo Ferronickel Project (New Caledonia) in Brisbane, Australia. Back in Canada again, Robert became Global Managing Director for the Project Delivery Group. For the past six years, he has served as the Board sponsor for operations in Spanish-speaking South America. Recently, he was appointed Global Managing Director for Hatch’s Energy sector. 

On the job, Robert’s technical and project experience includes mechanical design, furnace and smelter equipment and systems, project engineering, project and program management, construction management, commissioning, and start-ups. An expert in developing quality systems, he was responsible for driving innovation and differentiated engineering into the company’s project implementation approach, providing the tools, methodologies, and systems responsible for delivering some of the largest, most integrated projects in the world. Leading the Project Delivery Group, Robert is a frequent sponsor of major initiatives across the business and responsible for bringing together multi-disciplinary, global teams to deliver studies, execution projects, as well as improvements to new or growing operations, on time, and on budget. 

Today, Robert is responsible for Hatch’s two Energy sector business units, Oil & Gas and Power (Water Power, Nuclear, Thermal, Wind, Solar, Hybrid, Transmission and Distribution), instilling teams with a clear, sharp business focus and accountability for business results.

Robert is also a graduate of Stanford University’s Executive Program. His professional affiliations include Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO), the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS), the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) and the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM). 

"I joined Hatch to do interesting projects and see the world. I just didn’t realize someone was listening. Now I’m driven to make sure this remains true for future generations of Hatch employees."