Alex Ocean

Alex Ocean is the founder of Purple Engineering and leads its technical sales. A civil engineer with more than 25 years in construction and engineering, he has been a member of Engineers Australia (MIEAust) since 2010.

A third-generation entrepreneur, Alex launched his first technology venture at 17. He went on to complete a Bachelor of Civil Engineering at the University of Semnan in 2000, then founded his own civil and road construction company before moving to Australia.

In Western Australia he worked as a civil engineer with Piletech and the Saipem / Leighton joint venture. His project work includes the design and construction of foundations for RAC Arena in Perth and the Albany Entertainment Centre, and the installation of subsea foundations for the jetty at Barrow Island.

Working on Western Australian oil and gas projects, Alex saw how often work stalled while contractors waited 8 to 14 weeks for pipeline equipment from overseas. In 2013 he founded Purple Engineering to fix that, holding critical equipment in stock locally so clients could meet their deadlines. The business has since supplied filtration and pipeline equipment to thousands of projects across Australia.

Today Alex leads Purple’s technical sales alongside CEO Sanoj Chathuranga, with a focus on long-term, trust-based relationships with clients and suppliers. He describes himself as obsessed with learning: he reads between 50 and 100 books a year and invests a large share of his income in his own education.