The story behind Wileo
After more than a decade in Australia, I've learned that introductions are smoother when people can actually pronounce your name! So Guillaume, my given name, soon became the shortened English version ‘Will’ since Aussies do love to shorten names!
There is more to this story. The journey from ‘Guillaume’ to ‘Will’ mirrors the transition from an engineer working in some interesting corners of the world to someone who’s found a base in Western Australia's dynamic business landscape.
The international foundation
My engineering journey began in France, where I completed my Master's degree in Engineering before earning an MSc in Innovation & Entrepreneurship from the École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris (HEC Paris). Like many young engineers, I was eager to see how different countries approached complex problems, so I took my skills on the road.
Romania taught me about the power of adaptability, the importance of culture and leveraging rapid industrial transformation. Papua New Guinea showed me the complexities of infrastructure development in challenging environments. Each location added another layer to my problem-solving toolkit, but after I settled in Perth, everything clicked into place.
Finding my place in WA
What struck me about Western Australia wasn't just the scale of the engineering challenges (although they're impressive), but the overall willingness of businesses to innovate. After working internationally, I could see that WA's infrastructure sector needed people who could take global best practices and local realities, add innovative ideas and build workable solutions.
In WA, I dived right into engineering management in the rail and infrastructure sectors, gaining valuable experience and deep industry knowledge. Those years were invaluable. Aside from learning rail systems, I gained an understanding about how Western Australians work, what drives decision-making, and how to deliver complex projects in this unique environment.
The experience gave me deep appreciation for the challenges facing infrastructure operators here. The vast distances, the resource sector demands, the need for systems that work reliably in harsh and critical conditions - these aren't problems you solve with off-the-shelf international solutions.
The entrepreneurial leap
In 2014, I co-founded WILEO with a colleague, Lio, driven by an ambition to create a sustainable engineering firm that could bridge the gap between international expertise and local needs. Amongst existing consultancies, we wanted to build something that combined growth with social responsibility and good stewardship.
The early years were about establishing credibility and building relationships. By 2019, I'd taken full leadership of the company, and we began focusing on what we did best: complex system integrations where technical excellence and local knowledge both matter.
A major turning point arrived in 2024 when we made the strategic decision to re-position. To achieve this, we doubled down on what our clients valued most, like deep technical knowledge, proven methodologies, and the ability to scale expert teams up and down as projects demand.
What drives us today
Today, we're still solving complex infrastructure challenges. But now we bring a broader perspective, having worked across rail, defence, oil and gas, and aerospace sectors. Each industry teaches you something different about managing risk, coordinating stakeholders, and delivering results under pressure.
What I love most is building great teams around unique challenges. Whether it's mapping system interdependencies across hundreds of sites or navigating the complexities of live system upgrades, the problems we tackle require both technical depth and collaborative problem-solving. We have had great success connecting our consultants’ skills to cross-sector work, allowing the team to build their knowledge, and effectively use their experience in complex projects.
Beyond the office
When I'm not wrestling with complex engineering systems, you'll find me embracing WA life in other ways. As a father to a toddler, I'm learning that project management skills transfer surprisingly well to parenting, although the stakeholder requirements are rather more demanding!
I still have the travel bug (always curious about how other places solve similar problems), cooking (precision and creativity aren't just for engineering), and adrenaline sports (calculated risks, whether in wakeboarding or system design).
The WILEO difference
Today, WILEO represents something I'm genuinely proud of - a team that combines international perspectives with deep local knowledge.
Whether you know me as Guillaume or Will, the mission remains the same - bringing expertise and passion to every project, building sustainable solutions for complex challenges, and proving that excellent engineering happens when global experience meets local commitment.