Wired for Connection | Meet Alan Margaris
Meet Alan - Associate, Group Manager, Senior Electrical Engineer
Alan leads the Sydney electrical team within the Building Services team and is also a key player in our Business Development group.
Alan has what our clients and his team truly value - deep technical expertise, a long history in the construction industry and a passion for electrical engineering. Clients say they value his extensive construction experience because he understands their challenges onsite. He ‘speaks their language’ and provides well-communicated, pragmatic solutions to highly technical issues. Earlier in his career, Alan was an electrician for 11 years. This experience equips him with an understanding of how systems come together and connect with upstream infrastructure.
“Alan has a practical yet innovative approach to problem solving. I watched Alan put both knowledge and communication skills together gaining traction and buy-in through communicated design smarts. With his entrepreneurial spirit, he continually works to maintain and strengthen our working relationship and provides excellent service.” Donna Lee, Group Design Manager, Westbourne Constructions Pty Ltd.
Read about the Griffith Teas project in Sydney.
One of Alan’s favourite projects has been the NRMA electric vehicle network roll out across New South Wales. By 2030, electric vehicles are estimated to become the most prevalent form of transport and NRMA, supported by Northrop, have been at the forefront of expanding the EV charging infrastructure.
This innovative project involved setting up one of Australia’s largest EV fast-charging networks across 31 NSW sites running as far south as Albury and as far north as Tenterfield. Alan had a dual role in the project - client relationship manager and the lead electrical engineer verifier. Read more about the scale of the project and the teams involved to make it a reality. Northrop has been fortunate to be a part of this pioneering movement.
School projects are also some of the key projects in Alan’s portfolio, often in collaboration with Bow Goold Architects - a close partnership he has developed for six years. Bow Goold are a 30-year old Sydney based practice. One of these projects is the Tyndale Christian School where using Revit 3D technology and in collaboration with Bow Goold, the team was able to visualise and implement ideas and strategies to maximise the aesthetic of the new building envelope.
"Alan is an accomplished and very approachable electrical engineer. From concept through to project completion Alan and his team work closely with us to achieve the right solution and best outcome for our clients." Aaron Ashpole - Bow Goold Architects
Outside Northrop, Alan is involved in the industry and regularly presents to, and for, industry bodies like CIBSE - Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) ANZ Region, Recently he was part of a panel of experts to discuss ‘The Current and Future Trends of Electric Vehicle Charging.’ with EVSE co-founder Sam Korkees. Watch the full presentation or read a summary of the key insights. He is also a Chartered member of Engineers Australia and has been featured in one of their campaigns to encourage engineers to gain their Chartered status.
Alan is also a father of two young children, husband and musician. He can play seven instruments and now focusses on electric guitar and drums. With the birth of his second child, he was the first dad at Northrop to take advantage of the Northrop parental leave program. He was able to access it in a part time configuration, four days a week. He says he was able to make it work because of the support from his team, the wider business and the flexibility of his clients.
Alan’s unique ability to motivate and energise his team is widely appreciated. In the 2021 lockdown he kicked off a weekly BBQ competition with his team where they all showcased their skills with weekly intranet posts. It was a great way to share everyone’s diverse backgrounds too.
Alan says what he loves about working in Northrop is the opportunity to work with highly experienced and passionate people across all disciplines, locally and across the entire organisation.
“It's about harnessing our collective experience to realise the potential of our people, our projects and our clients. It’s really rewarding to be able to help clients realise their goals.” Alan Margaris
Would you like to discuss your next project with Alan?
Contact him in our Sydney office on 02 9241 4188 or azmargaris@northrop.com.au
Watch this video to find out more about Alan.
Writer/Content Project Manager: Gemma Garratt, Marketing & Conversions Manager
Photographer/Videographer: Matt Vas Photography
