Peter Busbridge, 56
Chief Executive Officer of SMEC Holdings and SMEC Operations, Cooma, NSW

A holder of an hon-ours degree in civil engineering from Melbourne University, Peter Busbridge has three decades experience in managing large civil engineering projects.
Busbridge participated in the negotiations when SMEC was purchased by its staff from the prior owner, the federal government.
As the CEO of the SMEC group of companies, he is responsible for all SMEC business within the Australian states and internationally in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indo China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. The company has more than 1500 staff.
Busbridge is an avid follower of Australian Football and enjoys surfing and the beach.

Tristram Carfrae 46
Principal and senior structural engineer with Arup, Sydney

A world-leading structural engineer with an MA in mechanical sciences from Cambridge University, Brit-
ish born Tristram Carfrae has been based in Sydney since the early 1990s.
His particular ability lies in integrating engineering and architecture to provide the best holistic solution by producing buildings which consume less resources while maximising the enjoyment of their occupants. Carfrae has been a key player in designing six iconic structures which have all been acclaimed by the Institute of Structural Engineers (UK). His latest major structure has been the Olympic Swimming Centre under construction in Beijing.
He was made an Arup Fellow in 2002, the highest award within the firm for design and technical achievement. In 2001 he was named by Engineers Australia as Professional Engineer of the Year.

Andrew Buckley, 48
Managing Director of Cardno, Brisbane

Mechanical engineer Andrew Buckley has worked in the management, design and construction of engineering projects in Australia, Africa, USA and Asia. For the
past decade, he has worked in executive management roles in the engineering and construction sector.
“My favourite project was building a gold mine in Ghana in West Africa,” he said.
Cardno’s growth, largely steered by Buckley, has been gained through mergers and acquisitions and through public listing. Since assuming his current position in 1997 he has increased the firm’s annual revenue from $14 million to more than $80 million (estimate for 2004/2005) and has helped grow the firm from a staff of 180 people to more than 650.
He said the just announced acquisition of ACIL Australia will increase annual revenue to about $150 million and will add to the acquisition late last year of specialist coastal and ocean engineering consultancy Lawson & Treloar (about $6 million annual revenue).
Buckley’s favourite recreational sport is sailboarding.

Nigel Robinson, 51
Group Chief Executive of Maunsell, Chief Executive of Aecom Australia New Zealand Asia Middle East Group, Brisbane

Last year proved one of the most successful for Maunsell. “2004 was a record year with significant growth in revenues, operating profit and sales,” said Nigel Robinson.
“During the year we completed the acquisition of Bassett Consulting Engineers, adding 200 staff with leading edge building service skills, taking Maunsell’s staff to 2300.
He said the firm closely follows parent company Aecom’s commitment to social involvement. Robinson completed a three year term on the board of RedR Australia in 2004 and Maunsell remains a sponsor of this charity for the engineering community.
He said the staff response to the December 2004 Tsunami was very generous and Aecom matched all individual contributions with a corporate donation. Maunsell has also sent two staff to assess tsunami damage at schools in the Maldive islands.
Robinson stays fit by working out at a gymnasium five times a week. He also takes an annual trip with friends to Hawaii windsurfing.
He holds an honours degree in civil engineering from Leeds University and a diploma in economics and sociology from Imperial College of the University of London.

Robert Care, 54
Chief Executive and Chairman of Arup Australasia, Melbourne

For more than 30 years Dr Robert Care has worked as a consulting engineer and project manager in the UK, Hong Kong, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Korea, Thailand, the US and Australia. Some of the projects he has led have been high profile, including being the project director and leader of the joint Arup/Transportation Technology Centre team, which examined rail infrastructure in Britain following the fatal Hatfield train crash in 2000.
His favourite project was the Wandoo B Full Field Development in 1997, an offshore oil field project in Western Australia.
“This experience created a step shift in my career and in my personal outlook. This was the first project alliance in Australia and was a resounding success for all parties involved,” he said.
As a member of the Core Strategic Group of the Australian Building Codes Board, Care is also a key player in providing the strategic direction for this body for the next decade.
Care holds a degree in a civil engineering, a university medal and a PhD from the University of NSW.

Paul Dougas, 55
Chief Executive of Sinclair Knight Merz, Melbourne

A chemical engineer, Paul Dougas has been leading one of Australia’s largest engineering consulting firms since 1996. This financial year the firm will achieve a turnover of about $500 million and its staff has increased to 4000. The firm has offices across Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Europa and South America.
Dougas said a good business leader is “perceptive about what clients need and where the market is heading in the medium to long-term future”.
“The issues that concern the broader business community are important to us too. Whatever the accountants and lawyers worry about, we should worry about,” he said.
He supports the development of leadership talent, not only within the company but also outside through his chairmanship of the board of Engineers Australia’s Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management.
Dougas is a graduate of Melbourne University.

John Grill, 59
Chief Executive Officer of WorleyParsons, Perth

John Grill has been a key figure in the rise of WorleyParsons to become a highly successful Australian publicly-listed engineering and project management services provider in the hydrocarbons, infrastructure, minerals & metals and power sectors.
Previously known as the Worley Group, the company changed the name to WorleyParsons late last year to reflect the valuable energy services business it had acquired from Parsons E&C of the US.
In its recent half year report the firm confirms that in 2004 it increased net profit after tax by 80.5% to $23 million. The Parsons E&C acquisition, worth A$350 million, has also greatly expanded the company’s technical expertise and geographic spread.
Grill’s ambitions for WorleyParsons are to “fully integrate the new organisation and to consolidate its position as a global player in the resource and energy markets”.
Grill is an honours graduate in civil engineering from Sydney University. He also holds a science degree from the same university.
To keep fit he maintains regular exercise. His favourite sports are golf and skiing.

Harry Poulos, 65
Senior Principal of Coffey Geosciences and Emeritus Professor of the University of Sydney

Geotechnical engineer Professor Harry Poulos’s international standing was confirmed recently when he was invited to peer review the foundation design of what will be the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai tower in the Persian Gulf. This building is more than 800m tall (about the height of three Melbourne Rialto buildings stacked on top of each other).
In another professional area Poulos, as a board member of the International Society of Soil Mechanics, is working with other geotechnical engineers to develop better methods of professional practice.
From the mid 1960s he had a distinguished academic career at his alma mater Sydney University.
From 1988 until 1992 he split his time between academia and consulting, joining Coffey Partners International. He is still a senior principal of Coffey Geosciences and has maintained his links with Sydney University as an emeritus professor.
Outside of his work he is an avid collector of books on many subjects other than engineering; his principal interests are archaeology, ancient history and philosophy. He is also a follower of cricket and soccer.

Merv Jones, 58
Managing Director of URS Asia-Pacific, Sydney

A chemical engineer from Auckland University, Dr Merv Jones heads up the regional management of San Francisco-based URS Corporation.
URS provides planning, design, environmental and construction services to public and private clients worldwide. The firm has about 27,500 employees, of which 1000 are based in the Asia Pacific offices in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and China.
He has led the firm through the past few years from a predominantly environmental consultancy (based on the predecessor firms of Woodward Clyde and Dames & Moore) into a broader mix of environmental and other engineering services.
“This means that URS is now able to compete at a regional level with the other large engineering consultancies for major infrastructure projects, as well as maintaining its preeminent position as a provider of environmental services,” he said
Jones was appointed to his present position in 2000 having managed the New Zealand operations of URS since 1996. He is an expert in air pollution and atmospheric dispersion modelling, and pollution control technology.
Jones enjoys playing golf and stays fit by running every second day.

David Singleton, 55
Chairman of Arup Group’s Global Infrastructure Business, Member of the Group Board, London

David Singleton has a degree in civil engineering from Nottingham University in the UK and, apart from a short period following graduation with the Greater London Council, has been with Arup since 1973. He was appointed to his current global role in April 2004, and is now based in London, with responsibilities extending to America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Currently, his favourite projects are the New York 2nd Avenue Subway, where Arup is in a joint venture as the designer of the first New York subway in many decades; the second phase of the Channel Tunnel Railway which is nearing completion; and Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong.
Singleton was chairman of Engineers Australia’s Civil College (1995 to 1998), president of the ACEA from 2000 to 2002, and chairman of the National Engineering Registration Board until last year.
Currently he is chair of the Building Sector Board for SAI Global.

Geoff Peattie, 59
Vice-President Asia Pacific, KBR Government & Infrastructure, Sydney

Being an engineer has provided Geoff Peattie “the platform for a great career”.
“I doubt I would have had the opportunity to rise to my current position if I were not an engineer,” he said, adding that he started his working life as an engineering cadet in Newcastle in the late 1960s (he is a graduate in mechanical engineering from Newcastle University).
He said KBR has a good engineering team in Australia and has inherited a solid foundation from its Kinhill heritage.
He said KBR is now employing record numbers of graduates to meet future needs and it has been able to attract top graduates, two of whom were recently awarded Fulbright and Monash University scholarships for further overseas study.
Outside work, Peattie maximises his time with his family and relaxes by fishing and taking an interest in horse racing.

Robert Squire, 58
Chief Executive of Connell Wagner, Director of Mott Connell, Hong Kong and Mott MacDonald UK, Melbourne

An honours graduate in mechanical engineering from the University of NSW, Robert Squire leads one of the country’s largest consul-tancies, now numbering 2300 staff.
His major current challenge is handling the consultancy’s large volume of work against a background of skill shortage. Another challenge is the growth of the business offshore, which he sees as critical for Connell Wagner’s future.
Squire believes engineers need to do more to convince governments and the broader business community of what they can offer in terms of obtaining better project delivery methods and positive outcomes.
Although much of his free time is taken up with immediate and extended family, he names bridge, golf and thoroughbred horse breeding among his interests. He also holds a now inactive commercial pilots licence and likes to occasionally ride his Kawasaki motorcycle on the roads outside Melbourne.

Roger Olds, 49
Managing Director of Coffey International, Melbourne

Roger Olds has been in consulting engineering for his entire career since graduating as a civil engineer with honours from Monash University in 1978.
However, since becoming a state manager in 1989 and taking on larger managing roles in the 1990s following the firm’s public listing and becoming managing director in 1996 has meant that in the past decade he has focused more on being an effective manager and engineering leader.
He believes that if leaders want people to follow them, they need to create a future that staff can see as worthwhile.
“Successful leaders will set the context for what they expect and how they expect to get there. This does not mean the leaders decide what to do and tell everyone to get on with it; rather they ensure that the vision and values of the company are clearly defined and that employees know what sort of behaviour is acceptable.”

Mike Wilke, 57
Managing Director and Chairman of Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) Australia, Sydney

Civil engineer Mike Wilke believes the most important requirements in consulting today are effective leadership, seeking to understand the future needs of the profession and lifting service levels to clients.
“Consulting engineers need to be recognised as providing a level of service equivalent to lawyers or accountants, yet recently published client surveys show this recognition is lagging,” he said.
In recent years he has played a significant role in the development of project alliancing, including being the chairman of the acclaimed Port of Brisbane Motorway project.
His career with PB spans more than 20 years and includes a decade as PB’s Queensland state manager, during which time the firm grew from 40 to 200 staff.
His main interests are global travel and helping his children and grandchildren grow and develop.

Des Whybird, 53
Chief Executive Officer of GHD, Brisbane

GHD has benefited from the buoyant economic conditions both here and at its overseas offices, experiencing more than 20% growth in the past year.
“However, when the demand for services is high, it is most important that long-term clients are supported and we have a strong commitment in this area,” Des Whybird told Engineers Australia. “Our main strength is that GHD is owned by its senior staff and that the firm has a strong culture based on teamwork, respect and integrity.”
GHD has more than 50 offices in Australia, the Middle East, Asia, New Zealand and in North and South America. Most of the firm’s growth has taken place in the past decade.
While GHD’s head office is in Sydney, it has a devolved management structure and does not require its CEO to be based there. Whybird operates out of the Brisbane office. He is a civil engineering honours graduate from the University of Queensland.
Because he travels a lot interstate and overseas he finds running each day keeps him fit and he enjoys the occasional fun run. He is also working on becoming a better golfer.

Engineers Australia Magazine, Volume 77 No 6, June 2005.

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