AECOM appoints Steve Cooley to drive operations and maintenance growth in Australia and New Zealand

SYDNEY (Nov. 21, 2018) — AECOM, a premier, fully integrated global infrastructure firm, today announced the appointment of Steve Cooley to the role of director of asset management & optimization, in response to increasing interest from road authorities in performance-based asset and operational maintenance contracts. Based in Sydney and reporting to Australia New Zealand Civil Infrastructure and Environment leader Ray Rawlings, Mr. Cooley will be responsible for connecting local and global AECOM teams to meet the needs of road authorities as they take an increasingly sophisticated approach to contracting arrangements.

Commenting on the operations and maintenance sector in Australia and New Zealand, Mr. Rawlings said, “The road authorities we support recognize the value of having consulting engineers and contractors working as joint partners in the long-term delivery of road operations, management and maintenance contracts. We are seeing an increase in the use of vertically integrated models as a way to align objectives and reduce inefficiencies, similar to the Easing Sydney’s Congestion project AECOM is currently delivering alongside Roads and Maritime Services.”

“Steve brings with him a wealth of experience from the UK where these type of contracting models are common practice. He’s strategically positioned to guide our clients through their adoption of these new delivery models and help them achieve better performance, safety and resilience,” continued Mr. Rawlings.

“The ‘vertically integrated’ model is a way of amalgamating asset management, decision making, technical, design and works delivery into a single contract let to a Joint Venture between a consultant and a contractor,” said Mr. Cooley. “The combination of AECOM’s international experience leading and operating these contracts, the local technical expertise and existing strong relationships with State road authorities means that we are well-positioned for growth.”

Mr. Cooley has more than 20 years’ experience managing contracts and businesses that covered some of the first controlled or managed motorway systems developed by Highways England for the busiest motorway networks including the M25 ring road. Beyond his role at AECOM, Mr. Cooley continues to be actively involved in the roads industry as the deputy chairperson, Journey Reliability Chapter at Roads Australia.

About AECOM 

AECOM is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate critical infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organizations. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOM had revenue of approximately $20.2 billion during fiscal year 2018. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Media Contact:
Johnny Sollitt-Davis
Director, External Affairs Australia New Zealand
+61 3 9653 8500
Johnny.Sollitt-Davis@aecom.com