Leading engineers honoured

The Fellowships, along with this year’s winners of the President’s medals and MacLean Citation were conferred in Wellington on Friday 29 March.

Our new Distinguished Fellows, which is our top tier of membership, are Arthur Park, Michael Pender and Ron McDowall.

The President’s Gold medal was awarded to Stephen Jenkins.

The President’s Silver medal went to Lauren Croft.

The MacLean Citation was awarded to Paul Campbell.

Our new Fellows are: Andrew Delugar, Ann Williams, Annette Sweeney, Bruce McLean, Professor Bryony James, Dave Marriott, David Bouma, Dr David Whittaker, Don McKenzie, Dukessa Blackburn-Huettner, Gerard Rowe, Kaye Clark, Mark Hedley, Michael Kerr, Dr Nabin Pradhan, Peter Amos, Philip Boys, Rebecca Knott, Roger Fairclough, Russell Shaw, Scott Vaughan, Simon Hall and Sioban Hartwell.

Becoming an Engineering New Zealand Fellow means you’ve made it to the top of the engineering profession and achieved outstanding results.

See the photos from our 2019 Fellows' Dinner

Distinguished Fellows

Arthur Park

Arthur Park has made an outstanding contribution to consulting engineering practice. While he’s had a long and distinguished career leading a successful engineering practice, it’s his inspirational leadership of the consulting engineering industry that sets him apart. Arthur joined the boards of both the Consulting Engineers Advancement Society (CEAS) and the Association of Consulting Engineers (ACENZ) in the late 1980s. He served as ACENZ President from 1994-95 and as CEAS Chair for 12 years, only recently stepping down. For many people, Arthur has become synonymous with CEAS and unanimously respected for the advice he has freely given on contracts, insurance and liability. Arthur has given countless hours of service and guidance to Engineering New Zealand, ACENZ and the wider engineering community. His expertise extends to regulations and liabilities affecting engineers, the development of standards, equitable contracts for engineers, practice management – basically all matters relating to contracts, liabilities and insurance. Arthur is an undisputed leader and role model and has shown unwavering and selfless commitment to the engineering profession.

Michael Pender

Michael Pender has been teaching and researching geotechnical engineering for more than 50 years. He is a Life Member of the New Zealand Geotechnical Society and a Life Member of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering. He’s been the recipient of many awards: the Fulton Downer Gold Medal in 1985 and 2011; the Supreme Technical Award for Engineering Achievers – Building, Construction and Amenities in 2005; the Turner Award for Professional Commitment in 2006; the Rabone Award in 1978 and 1998; and the Structural Award in 1986 and 1993. In 2018, he was invited by the British Geotechnical Association to deliver the biennial geotechnical engineering lecture. Since 2003, he has been a Visiting Professor to the European School for Advanced Studies in the Reduction of Seismic Risk, University of Pavia, Italy. He has been employed by the University of Auckland since 1977 and has been Professor of Geotechnical Engineering since 1985. He was Head of the Department of Civil Engineering from 1994 to 1998, Acting Dean of the Engineering Faculty in 1997, and between 2007 and 2010 he was Associate Dean International in the Engineering Faculty. In 2005 he received a University of Auckland Sustained Excellence in Teaching award.

Ron McDowall

Ron McDowall has more than 30 years’ experience as a consulting engineer and has spent more than 20 years teaching. His work includes consultancy services to the United Nations in sustainable development. Ron’s professional leadership is reflected in the various roles he has held in support of the professions’ advancement, including many years as a member of the Engineering Practice Advisory Committee, key roles within the NZ Society for Sustainability Engineering and the Sustainability Society, and as a member of the Engineering New Zealand Governing Board. Ron has received the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services for science and engineering and in 2010 won the Engineering New Zealand Supreme Technical Award for Sustainability.

Fulton-Downer Silver Medal

The Fulton-Downer Silver Medal is awarded by the President to an Emerging Professional member who demonstrating outstanding achievement.

The 2019 Engineering New Zealand Fulton-Downer Silver Medal is awarded to Lauren Croft.

Since her student days, Lauren’s volunteer work has made an impact on the profession and the wider community. Her involvement with Engineers Without Borders began in Christchurch, where she was both Engagement Officer and Marketing and Communication Coordinator for the student chapter. 

When she moved to Wellington to start her career with Holmes, she joined the Engineering Without Borders’ Wellington chapter committee and later became its President.

Lauren has been involved in our Young Engineers Wellington group since 2015 and became its Chair in September 2016. She has since moved into a role supporting our Wellington Branch. 

In 2018, Lauren became part of the Wellington regional Diversity Agenda working group. She is actively engaged in Diversity Agenda events, including speaking as a panel member.

Never one to shy away from difficult topics, Lauren is happy to challenge current thinking and pose new ideas. She’s been a valuable sounding board, providing constructive feedback for many Engineering New Zealand projects and initiatives. Her boldness and creativity are a huge asset to us and the profession as a whole.

Fulton-Downer Gold Medal

The Fulton-Downer Gold Medal is awarded by the President and is given to a senior member of the profession who has made an outstanding contribution to the engineering profession. 

The 2019 Fulton-Downer Gold Medal is awarded to Stephen Jenkins, who has made a significant contribution to the assessment of engineers.

An Engineering New Zealand Fellow, Stephen is a practice area assessor and has served for the past seven years as Chair of the Competency Assessment Board. This significant role includes monthly evaluations of panel reports on all applications for CPEng registration or renewal and Chartered Membership. Stephen has reviewed at least one assessment or re-assessment report on every Chartered Professional Engineer.

Under Stephen’s leadership, CAB has introduced new systems and streamlined application processes. His support of training and development for assessors has improved consistency and reduced the number of appeals against assessment decisions.

Stephen has represented Engineering New Zealand on International Engineering Alliance panels reviewing the competence assessment processes and standards in Peru and Australia. He has presented professional development courses on behalf of Engineering New Zealand and the International Association of Consulting Engineers. He is also a member of Engineering New Zealand’s Professional Development Advisory Committee.

MacLean Citation

The MacLean Citation recognises a member’s exceptional and distinguished service to the engineering profession, and is decided by the governing board. 

The 2019 MacLean Citation is awarded to Paul Campbell. A Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, Paul’s contribution in the structural engineering space, especially in the wake of the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes, represents significant service to both the profession and New Zealanders as a whole.

Paul was Engineering Team Leader for the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority after the February 2011 earthquake. He was responsible for establishing safety procedures in the Red Zone, in conjunction with CERA and the Christchurch City Council, as his team carried out building safety assessments. Despite thousands of aftershocks, there were no further casualties in the city. 

Generous with his expertise and advice, Paul has served on many expert panels, including the Canterbury Residential Advisory Services technical panel and, more recently, Engineering New Zealand’s panel supporting the Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service. 

He has provided technical advice to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment on an array of structural topics, as well as input into technical standards like the revised Seismic Assessment Guidelines and the subsequent revision of section C5.

Currently immediate Past President of SESOC, Paul continues to serve on its Management Committee. He is a SESOC life member.

Fellows

Andrew Delugar is the Director of Engineering at KBR UK, taking responsibility for leading both technical functions and 600-strong team across a diverse portfolio of energy projects. During his career, Andrew has held senior leadership positions in some of the world’s largest energy infrastructure projects. He has lived and worked in many countries, including New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia, India and, most recently, Norway – where he found a close cultural affinity with his Kiwi roots. Andrew is passionate about engaging business with education, in terms of developing people within his team, and also working with schools, universities and technical institutions.

Ann Williams is a Technical Fellow at Beca, with 30 years’ experience in engineering geology, hydrogeology and managing geotechnical risks in infrastructure projects. Ann is a Past Chair of the New Zealand Geotechnical Society, and a past Vice President of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment. She sits on the editorial boards of a number of international journals. Ann was instrumental in establishing the register of Professional Engineering Geologists (PEngGeol) in New Zealand.

Annette Sweeney specialises in the delivery of water resources infrastructure. She is a very experienced engineer, manager and director who is highly acclaimed by the industry, staff, peers and clients. A former “ACENZ Future Leader of the Year” recipient, Ann serves on the board of Good Earth Matters and its associated companies. She has also served on the ACENZ Board and been Chair of the Manawatu Branch of Engineering New Zealand.

Bruce McLean’s diverse career has seen him work in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United States and Israel. He’s worked on huge range of projects, from hydroelectric projects and multi-storey buildings to a military air base, gas-to-gasoline plant, pulp mill and opencast mine. Bruce was involved in the ANZAC frigate project, a submarine cable project and New Zealand’s first wind farm. He has been an advisor in the Prime Minister’s Department, Project Director of the Supreme Court and an independent on numerous project boards. His current focus is providing good project governance.

Professor Bryony James is a materials engineer who’s strayed from the traditional path of metals, plastics and ceramics and now studies food. She has developed an internationally recognised research programme in food structure and properties, particularly what goes on when we chew. Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, at the University of Auckland, Bryony teaches in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. A winner of the Ako Aotearoa National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award, she understands that students are the heart of what makes a University a special place. They invigorate her in the lecture theatre and inspire her in the research lab.

Dave Marriott specialises in “business engineering”, which spans a range of engineering disciplines and focuses on major infrastructure project development and associated organisational governance. He has been an advisor to government on the performance of SOEs and has a focus on developing organisational strategies at governance level. He has served on some 20 boards in public and private sectors. He is currently chair of the advisory board of Vitruvius, a fast-growing Tauranga-based engineering consultancy, with branches in Wellington and Christchurch. Dave was awarded the 1990 New Zealand Commemoration Medal for “Services to New Zealand”. 

David Bouma has 31 years' experience in water resources, civil and environmental engineering projects in New Zealand, South East Asia, the Pacific and Africa. He has made a significant contribution to Tonkin + Taylor and its clients through his project work and various management and leadership roles. He served on the management committee of the New Zealand Society of Large Dams for eight years and has recently been elected as a member of the International Commission on Large Dams Technical Committee on Levees.

Dr David Whittaker is a Senior Technical Director and structural engineer with Beca. He has designed many large commercial buildings in New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. He has played an active role in projects the aftermath of the Canterbury and Kaikoura earthquakes. He led the 2009 NZSEE seismic design of storage tanks guideline and the 2018 guideline for design of seismic isolation systems for buildings. He has published numerous papers on seismic isolation. He organised the World Conference on Seismic Isolation and NZSEE technical conference in 2017. He is currently President of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering.

Don McKenzie served the NZ Transportation Group Technical Group as its National Administrator for almost 10 years. He has been a Chartered Professional Engineer practice area assessor and has presented specialist expert evidence before the Environment Court and Boards of Inquiry on numerous occasions. He is an International Director of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and has advocated in New Zealand and overseas for the enhancement of traffic generation analysis and integrated transportation assessments.

Dukessa Blackburn-Huettner leads the Lifecycle Management group for Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters. As the asset manager and owner, she’s responsible for a $5 billion asset base that includes the stormwater network and other water and wastewater systems. Dukessa has more than 20 years’ experience in three-waters infrastructure, both in New Zealand and Europe. She has been involved in many industry bodies, including six years on the board of Water New Zealand, the final two as chair. She’s currently on the National Asset Management Support and Water New Zealand technical committee. Dukessa is passionate about ensuring that her children and future generations can enjoy clean water and environments.

Gerard Rowe is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Auckland and serves as Deputy Dean (Academic) within the Faculty of Engineering. Over the last 35 years he has taught at all levels, from first year to postgraduate. He’s developed a particular research interest in identifying and correcting student conceptual misunderstandings and in curriculum and course design. He has received 21 teaching awards including a Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award in the Sustained Excellence in Teaching category, as well as an Australasian Association for Engineering Education award for excellence in Engineering Education in the Teaching and Learning category.

Kaye Clark has held senior executive roles in local bodies and the NZ Transport Agency, and was instrumental in standing up the $2 billion delivery of the Waikato Expressway as part of the Roads of National Significance project. Kaye has been active in the Road Controlling Authorities Forum both as a participant and past co-chair. She currently sits on the Auckland University Civil Engineering and Environmental Advisory Board, following over a decade on the Canterbury University Engineering Advisory Board. Kaye champions diversity and inclusion, influencing staff and colleagues alike, and calling out blocks and barriers.

Mark Hedley is a leading temporary works designer with a history of successful and award-winning projects. He leads the temporary works design team for Downer and initiated the recently formed New Zealand Temporary Works Forum. He is an active and passionate mentor for engineering graduates and was instrumental in Downer becoming an Engineering New Zealand Professional Development Partner. He serves as a Trustee on the A F Downer Memorial Trust, which awards annual scholarships to engineering students. He is a strong supporter of engineering heritage and was a contributing author to the book Evolving Auckland published in 2011.

Michael Kerr is a leader in the consulting engineering sector. He has taken leadership roles in a number of large transportation and water infrastructure projects that have provided significant benefits to their communities. Mike has led the development of a major regional consulting engineering business and, as President of ACENZ, provided national leadership to the consulting engineering sector. Mike has also heavily influenced in industry engagement in promoting engineering as a career –supporting Engineering New Zealand’s schools programme and being an initiator of the “Week of Engineering”. He is also actively engaged with his local polytechnic.

Dr Nabin Pradhan is a world-renowned asset management specialist with more than 25 years’ experience. He has been responsible for developing and implementing road asset management systems in more than 15 countries throughout Asia-Pacific and Europe, to maximise the value of these assets. He is currently Manager Asset Management Services at Downer. His portfolio includes technical advice to road-controlling authorities and enhancements in asset management capability of the network management contract team.

Peter Amos is Managing Director of Damwatch Engineering has an international reputation in dam engineering and dam safety. Peter has served as Chair of the New Zealand Society of Large Dams. He is also a New Zealand representative on the International Commission on Large Dams. As well as delivering innovative projects in New Zealand, Peter has led expansion of his firm's international client base, bringing international experience back to New Zealand. He has also built dam safety capacity in developing countries on behalf of the New Zealand Government and World Bank.

Philip Boys is a Principal Engineer at Mitton ElectroNet, with 23 years’ experience in the power industry in New Zealand. Philip is nationally and internationally renowned in the field of power engineering, particularly in relation to electrical earthing systems. Philip also has extensive experience in testing and design of earthing safety, lightning protection and substation design. He has contributed strongly and consistently to safety in the electrical power system and is recognised as a technical leader.

Rebecca Knott is a civil engineer with a Masters from the London School of Economics who has been part of the dam industry for 22 years. She was the first woman on the committee of the New Zealand Society on Large Dams and is currently its first female Chair. Rebecca is the founding General Manager of Dam Safety Intelligence, a subsidiary of Meridian Energy. She’s also a member of the Chartered Professional Engineers’ Council, represents New Zealand at the International Commission on Large Dams and is part of the Government’s Technical Working Group for Dam Safety.

Roger Fairclough is one of the few engineers with extensive experience in the overlapping fields of policy, practice and research. He is highly regarded in the infrastructure policy and research sectors, and has been involved in a number of projects and activities of national significance. Most recently, Roger has played a leadership role in the governance of infrastructure research, where his knowledge, collaborative approach and connectedness within and across sectors has proven its value. He is currently Chair of New Zealand Lifelines (Utilities) Council and chairs a number of end-user advisory groups.

Russell Shaw is Group Chief Executive at electricity generation and distribution lines company Top Energy, a role that he’s held for 10 years. When Russell started in this role, he embarked on a plan to improve the network’s reliability and exploit the Ngawha geothermal resource for electricity generation. Over the past 10 years, he’s refocused the company on safety, business improvement and core business operations, and implemented network and generation growth strategies of around $430 million. Russell has become an industry leader, taking part in discussions that have helped shape the sector. 

Scott Vaughan has made a significant contribution to geotechnical and forensic engineering. He has been instrumental in researching, developing, and overseeing the implementation of systems for managing all aspects of Riley Consultants. He has served the profession through as an ACENZ area representative and an Innovate NZ awards judge. He has exhibited high levels of professionalism in his organisational and governance roles.

Simon Hall is currently Design Manager at Caliber Design. He advances the practice of engineering through development of new processes and products, and through collaborative gaining and sharing of knowledge within his team. He has served on Engineering New Zealand Branch Committees, including as Branch Chair, and been  Convenor of Judging for the Arthur Mead Award.

Sioban Hartwell has held a number of leadership roles in the water industry, and currently leads GHD’s water business in New Zealand. She is a past president of Water New Zealand and currently sits on the Straterra Board. Sioban’s career has covered a wide range of water infrastructure projects, and she is particularly known for her technical strength in urban stormwater and minewater management. She has a strong track record of organisational and professional leadership, and is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.