Nathan Holden’s career path is anything but ordinary. From growing up in a family of oyster farmers near Newcastle to now producing water tanks on a national and international scale, his story is one of adaptability, ambition and a deep sense of purpose – both professionally and personally.
Nathan joined Ahrens in April 2024 as the General Manager of Water, a role that sees him overseeing Pioneer Water Tanks Australia and USA, Southern Cross Water and Altanks. He has also recently stepped up to manage shed business Wheatbelt Steel as they integrate their manufacturing next door to Pioneer in the Perth suburb of Bellevue. It’s a big remit, but for someone who thrives on challenge and change, it’s right where he wants to be.
Before joining Ahrens, Nathan worked his way up through the ranks in a 14 year career with Rio Tinto before spending three years in the Pilbara running construction projects with an Ahrens competitor in the non-process infrastructure space. It was there he first crossed paths with Ahrens and began to take note of the business’ broader capabilities. “I met Stef and started to follow the business pretty closely. I knew they weren’t just in mining and had their hands in a lot of different industries,” he says.
When the time came to move on, both for career growth and to support his young family after years spent remote, Nathan made the call. “I kept Stef’s business card in my wallet and I’m not sure what prompted me, but one day I picked up the phone,” he explained. “I said that I was ready for my next challenge and that I think I would fit in well with Ahrens.” Nathan’s timing was impeccable – the role for General Manager of Pioneer Water Tanks was advertised a week later and before he knew it, he was part of the team.
Nathan starts his days early to align with the Pioneer USA team, before shifting focus to the Australian businesses. He describes his role as high-paced and highly collaborative, relying heavily on his team of capable people to drive progress across multiple operations.
One of his proudest achievements so far has been the dramatic reduction in Pioneer’s manufacturing lead times. “When I started, we were seeing 12-16 week waits for tanks. We’ve brought that down to 4-6 weeks. That puts us ahead of the market, and what’s even more satisfying is that the team is now consistently operating at that level.”
He credits much of the success to a culture of collaboration and empowerment. “The biggest thing I’ve learned in my career is the importance of having the right people in the right roles. When I step into a business, I look at the people first. Machines don’t run the business – people do.”
Outside of work, Nathan is very much a family man. With a two-year-old daughter and another baby on the way, spare time is spent soaking up every moment of fatherhood. “Times have certainly changed, I used to be at the beach or on the water every chance I got. Now, I just want to give my kids the kind of upbringing we weren’t fortunate enough to have.”
And if you think Nathan sounds like someone who doesn’t mind a challenge, here’s a fun fact – during Covid, he took long service leave, bought a caravan and travelled the country with his wife. “We were lucky enough to make it through every state even with all the restrictions, started a YouTube channel, got sponsored by Atlantic Caravans and even ended up on stubby holders and t-shirts,” he laughs.
Looking ahead, Nathan is focused on leveraging the strength of the wider Ahrens Group to create even more opportunity. “We’ve got water tank businesses right across the country, shed manufacturing in every state and great construction capabilities. Ahrens offers the complete package – and that’s why I’m here. I want to be part of that growth.”
With people like Nathan leading the charge, it’s clear the future of Water and Wheatbelt Steel is in safe, determined hands.
