Ambition, care and tangible impact: A conversation with Tino Grabbert

Tino Grabbert is a Partner leading HKA’s Advisory business in Asia-Pacific and is based in Sydney, Australia. 

Tino, tell me about your background. 

I grew up in northern Germany and, from an early age, was determined to become a military pilot. I joined the military and began preparing for that career, but after a year I realized that, while I still loved aviation, the command-and-control culture of the military was not right for me. Becoming a pilot required complete commitment, so I changed direction and studied engineering. 

During my studies, I worked for Airbus as a student before joining Lufthansa in aircraft maintenance. I spent five years working close to the shop floor, leading improvement initiatives and aircraft maintenance and modification projects, including work on Boeing 747s and VIP aircraft. I loved being able to walk into the hangar and see the tangible result of what the team had achieved. 

After five years, I wanted to broaden my experience beyond one company and industry, so I joined McKinsey in Zurich. My early work took me across chemicals, steel, automotive, and rail in Europe, before moving to Australia and increasingly focusing on mining, oil and gas, and energy. Along the way, I worked in places ranging from steel plants in India to coal operations in Indonesia and gold mines in Laos. Over 15 years with the firm, I ultimately became a Partner and led the Resources Practice in Australia and New Zealand. 

After 15 years with McKinsey, I was ready for a new challenge: the opportunity to lead and grow a business, shape its direction and stay close to clients and delivery. That opportunity brought me to HKA.

What attracted you to your specialty? 

I often say that I like to pivot between the boardroom and the engine room. Strategic thinking matters, but it only creates value when it changes what happens in the business, on a project or at the frontline. 

I still enjoy spending time on project and mine sites. Recently, I spent two weeks in Western Australia to understand construction productivity and how work was actually being delivered. Experiences like that keep you honest. It is easy to put a bullet point on a page; the real test is whether a team can use it and whether it produces a better outcome. 

I have always had a real admiration for craftsmanship and complex operations. There is something very tangible about seeing skill, experience and technology come together to build something or make complex operations work well. Although my career moved into consulting, I have tried to keep one foot in the engine room. 

It is important to dream big and think boldly, but you also have to bring those ideas back to the reality of the people who need to make them happen.

Why is HKA a stand-out employer for you? 

For me, the first thing is always the people. From my earliest conversations with HKA, I met people who were collaborative, grounded and genuinely cared about one another. If you spend a significant part of your life at work, that matters. 

What particularly appealed to me was the combination of that culture with real ambition. HKA wants to grow, broaden its impact and take the business to another level, but without losing the qualities that hold the organization together. I like that combination of care and ambition. 

HKA’s expert-led proposition was another important attraction. That becomes even more relevant as AI changes professional services. Technology will increasingly be able to analyze information and generate answers at extraordinary speed, but clients will still need people with deep experience who can challenge those answers, understand the context and apply judgment. HKA has an extraordinary depth of expertise to build from. 

Finally, I was attracted by HKA’s international footprint. Having lived and worked across Europe, Asia and Australia, I enjoy being part of a genuinely international business. Some of the most interesting client challenges increasingly cut across geographies, and there is a real opportunity to bring together HKA’s expertise from different parts of the world.

What is it like working with your colleagues in Australia? 

One of the things I enjoy about the Sydney office is the mix of different parts of HKA. We have Advisory, Claims and Expert Services in close proximity, and there is a real opportunity to work more across those boundaries. For me, that starts with relationships: understanding what colleagues do, where they can add value and where we can pursue opportunities together. 

We are also building our presence in Perth and Brisbane. Perth has become something of a second home for me because of its importance to Australia’s resources and energy sectors, and it is exciting to grow our Advisory presence there.

What are your passions outside of work? 

Outside work, I enjoy getting out into the Australian countryside. The clock seems to move at a different speed there. I grew up near the coast in Germany and now live close to the beach in Sydney, but I have come to really appreciate the space, simplicity and slower pace of the countryside. It is a good reminder that there is more to life than always chasing the next thing. 

I also enjoy tennis, swimming, and yoga. Coffee is another important part of my routine. Australia has an extraordinary coffee culture, and making a good coffee at home is usually the first thing I do before heading to the office.

What opportunities would you like HKA to pursue in the future? 

Resources and industrials are a natural next area of growth for HKA in Australia. We already bring deep experience in capital strategy, procurement & commercial, supply chain, project delivery, and claims. The opportunity is to apply that combined expertise more broadly across mining, energy and industrial clients, where capital investment is significant and projects are becoming increasingly complex. Australia is one of the world’s leading resources markets, and we have a strong platform from which to expand our work in the sector.

The other opportunity I think about a great deal is AI. The technology will change how professional services and major projects operate, so the question is not whether to engage with it, but how to use it responsibly and effectively. 

For HKA, that could include helping clients transform how they analyze schedules and costs, better anticipate project risk, or identify earlier warning signs when projects start to drift off. The expert layer will continue to be required to challenge the output, place it in context and exercise judgment. That combination of technology and deep expertise can become a real strength for HKA.

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