AECOM’s Australia New Zealand business strategically repositions its southern region to drive growth
The firm established two regions, New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory and Victoria/South Australia, and appoints new regional managing directors to lead them
SYDNEY (Jan. 29, 2019) – AECOM, a premier, fully integrated global infrastructure firm, has split its Australia New Zealand (ANZ) southern region into two separate markets led out of Sydney and Melbourne as a result of a strategic repositioning and significant pipeline of work. The new regions, New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory (NAC) and Victoria/South Australia (VSA), will allow for a more strategic approach to each of the markets, provide more support for key clients and facilitate a more tailored approach to talent development. In another indication of the plan for growth, AECOM ANZ has just welcomed its largest ever graduate intake, with 174 newly qualified engineers, planners, designers and scientists joining the firm.
“In the past two years, our southern region has enjoyed revenue growth of 18 percent. As a result of significant public and private sector infrastructure investments in Melbourne and Adelaide, those two offices combined have grown by an impressive 27 percent,” said Todd Battley, AECOM’s chief executive of Australia and New Zealand. “Based on our strong pipeline of work, revenue growth targets and headcount projections, the time is right to create two regions.”
“This move also provides us with a great opportunity to recognize the achievements of two outstanding leaders, Kerry van Donderen and Mark McManamny, who have been integral to region’s growth. We celebrate their appointment to the Australia New Zealand leadership team and look forward to the innovative growth strategies they will bring to the two markets.”
According to the Infrastructure New South Wales December 2018 pipeline report, the New South Wales government is delivering the biggest infrastructure program in Australia with AU$87.2 billion worth of projects over the next four years. Over the same period, the Andrews’ Labor government in Victoria has committed around AU$10 billion per year on infrastructure projects.
“The structural change allows AECOM to grow while continuing to attend to our individual clients’ needs,” said Ms. van Donderen, regional managing director, New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory region. “With a team of over 1,000 people across the NAC region, this move will create new career paths for a broader and more diverse group of our people.”
“We are already working on a number of city-shaping infrastructure projects, such as Melbourne Metro and the Level Crossing Removal program,” said Mr. McManamny, regional managing director, Victoria/South Australia region. “These multiyear projects enable us to not only invest in our communities, but also and launch the careers of 46 new graduates across VSA, the largest ever intake across these two states.”
Ms. van Donderen is a chartered engineer with more than 20 years’ experience in the design and project management of major infrastructure projects, both in Australia and the UK. Most recently, she was the leader of the New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory Civil Infrastructure group, with over 420 team members. Ms. van Donderen was recognized in 2018 by Consult Australia as a Champion of Change – Female Leadership. Prior to her move to Sydney in 2017, Ms. van Donderen was AECOM’s South Australia area manager. In 2015, Ms. van Donderen was named a Roads Australia Fellow, one of only three female nominees that year, and she has been an active participant in ongoing Roads Australia fellowship forums.
Mr. McManamny joined AECOM in 2006 as the group director for civil infrastructure across Victoria and South Australia. Prior to joining AECOM, Mr. McManamny spent four years in the UK working for organizations such as WS Atkins, MouchelParkman and Transport for London. He began his career at VicRoads as a roads and highway engineer. Mr. McManamny has deep and broad connections across the Victorian infrastructure community, where he is a committee member of Engineers Australia’s Civil Infrastructure branch and a passionate member of the Committee for Melbourne.
Meanwhile, after several years’ leading the design and planning practice in Victoria/South Australia, Tim O’Loan has been appointed ANZ Cities leader responsible for overseeing client and market engagement in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland. Mr. O’Loan author of two AECOM Brilliant City insights reports on Melbourne last year, will oversee the practice which helps cities to unlock economic growth and maintain quality of life as their population continues to grow.
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