My favourite thing about Northrop is the awesome team I get to work with in Brissie. We’ve got a great group across civil and structures and collaborating with them makes work enjoyable. Another favourite is the work itself, helping clients out by solving their problems is the crux of it. Tying those two together to problem solve for clients as a team keeps me passionate.

I’m motivated by helping people, be it colleagues or clients. I try to lead by example and let the team know I’m always there to support them.

For civil our biggest role is factoring in climate change and increased rainfall intensity. We need to understand how the evolving climate will impact civil infrastructure now and in the future. Northrop is wholistically looking at carbon counting on our drawings to create a snapshot of our carbon impact which is pretty transformative.

I would say don’t put the pressure on yourself of needing to know everything instantly. No one knows everything but we have the tools to learn. Being a leader isn’t always about having the answer but it’s about knowing where to go to look for answers, and asking the right questions.

Outside of work these days most of my time is taken up with my young family. I’ve got 2 young daughters.  Ash is 3 and Georgia is 1, so it’s quite busy at home. I’m a huge sports fan. I love watching all kinds of sports and then their associated fantasy games.

For civil we can innovate when thinking of different grading approaches for a site to optimise earthworks and storm water designs. As example would be Willawong Distribution Centre – Stage 3 (with McNab) and Stage 4 (with CIP) where we looked at the key constraints and advised to lift the site, resulting in some very significant cost savings that won both contactors the job.  It’s important to spend the thinking time up front before diving in to designs.

There has been no single moment. At each stage of my career there have been pivotal moments on the journey. When I was first a contractor on site I got lots of perspective on what engineering means and how its put into practice. Since then I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to work at a range of different sized consultancies where I’ve been able to grow as an engineer and develop a strong technical base. At Northrop my focus has really been in the built form space (schools, commercial developments, industrial warehouses, stadiums) where I have had to really challenge my approach to civil design and adapt to a fast-paced competitive industry. I’m still learning every day and I think keeping that open perspective is critical to growing with the industry.

The Olympics work we’ve been doing, specifically on the indoor sports stadiums, has been very exciting. They’re going to have a great impact the community and leave a lasting legacy. Similarly, working in the subdivision space is quite rewarding as you are literally creating entire suburbs and regions for people to build their homes. I love that at the end of these kind of projects you have a tangible outcome and has made a difference where people will use and enjoy it.