Our 28th AGM held in Adelaide on 19 June 2024 saw the usual biennial changes to the membership of the Board. Seven remarkable new contributors were welcomed as we farewelled six legendary stalwarts.
Image above: Board at the 2024 AGM: L-R: Harvinder Singh, Michel de Vos, Ron Cox, Claire Treeby, Peter Engelen, Neil Lawson, Catherine Blaine,Laurence Benn, Luke Campbell, EO Paul Weston (kneeling), Rhys Jones, Lisa Wynne, Greg Britton, Tom Shand, Marty Bayley. Absent: David Dack, Mike Gallacher & Arne Nilsen.
A very warm welcome to the new members of the Board:
Marty Bayley is the General Manager, infrastructure & Development, for NZ’s Eastland Port in Tairāwhiti Gisborne. Locally born and bred, Marty Bayley grew up in the hinterland of Matawai. After earning a science degree followed by a Master of Engineering, he started his career in farming and forestry before moving into infrastructure. Marty has been with Eastland Port and its parent company Eastland Group since 2009 becoming the Ports Infrastructure Manager in 2011 and General Manager in 2023. During this time Eastland Port’s export volumes have more than quadrupled from 0.7m tonnes a year to over 3m. Marty has driven Eastlands development plans to accommodate this including the marque Twin Berth project to expand the ports capacity and capabilities, and futureproof it for the Tairāwhiti region. The port is now recognised as an industry leader and environmental innovator.
Catherine Blaine is General Manager, Projects – Asset & Development Division of the Port Authority of New South Wales, and the Chair of PIANC’s NSW Regional Chapter. With twenty-five years’ experience as a project, consulting and environmental engineer, Catherine is currently managing a world first project for a dry-bulk precinct and a first in the Southern Hemisphere for a cruise terminal, as the Port Authority of NSW moves towards providing Shore Power. The Port Authority intends to invest nearly $60 million for the development of a landside electricity supply for cruise and bulk ships at the Bays Port precinct, powered by renewable energy, set for launch in 2024.
David Dack is an Associate Principal at Arup, leading their maritime business in Australasia. He is a maritime and coastal infrastructure specialist, a chartered Fellow of Engineers Australia, and has over 20 years’ experience in both project leadership and technical roles working from Australia and the UK. David’s professional focus is on responding to the socio-economic and climate change-induced challenges faced by ports, coastal infrastructure, and coastal communities and the need to move towards a more resilient and sustainable future. David is also the hardworking Chair of the LOC of PIANC’s third APAC Conference to be held in Sydney in August 2024.
Arne Nilsen is Design Director, Ports & Maritime based at Aurecon in Queensland. His specialisations include marine and industrial structures, seaboard bulk materials handling and ship loading systems, marine facilities for oil and gas projects, public ferry infrastructure and coastal engineering. A focus upon resilience and adaptability of existing and new maritime infrastructure in the face of extreme environmental events such as flooding, storm surge and cyclonic waves; and climate change induced sea level rise has been a feature of his recent work. He also has a keen interest in good design, and for exploring new ways that teams with diverse experience can create exciting new things.
Dr Tom Shand is the Technical Director of Coastal Engineering at Tonkin + Taylor and an adjunct senior lecturer at the University of Auckland. Tom leads a specialist team of coastal engineers and scientists that work on complex coastal design and hazard problems throughout New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. This has included many of the major coastal infrastructure projects in New Zealand and, in the Pacific, assisting vulnerable communities adapt to the challenges of coastal hazard and climate change. Tom is passionate about the coast, waves and structures and the challenges of balancing our static build environment with these dynamic and changing processes. An active PIANCer, Tom was Vice-Chair for PIANC International’s Young Professional Commission overseeing the Asia-Pacific region between 2018 and 2020 and Co-Chair of the Australasian Coasts & Ports 2021/2022 Conference. He was also Chair and Committee Member of the New Zealand Coastal Society from 2015 – 2020.
Harvinder Singh is Principal Maritime Engineer at Jacobs and is based in Brisbane. Harvinder has more than twenty years’ experience in civil engineering design, specialising in maritime engineering. He has significant experience in the areas of design, site supervision, project and design management and construction of port and maritime infrastructure projects in Australia and the Southeast Asian region. Harvinder has contributed to the latest advancements in the maritime industry as a participant in the PIANC Maritime Commission Working Group (WG211) which has published updated Fender Design Guidelines 2024. Harvinder is grateful for the opportunity PIANC provides to share insights and collaborate with experts from around the globe.
Lisa Wynne is the Team Lead – Approvals & Delivery for WA’s Water Corporation. Lisa is an experienced environmental and marine scientist with a demonstrated history working in marine and terrestrial environmental approvals and planning, as well as contaminated sites. She is skilled in environmental impact assessment and advice, securing regulatory approvals, strategic planning and policy development. Lisa is particularly concerned with developing and maintaining collaborative relationships with regulators, government agencies, Traditional Owners and other stakeholders to ensure that the best environmental and social outcomes are achieved. Lisa is active in the WA Regional Chapter and is currently the Chair of PIANC AU-NZ Young Professionals Commission.
Farewell and thank you!
At the AGM in June 2024 we farewelled some great PIANC AU-NZ Board contributors as they stepped away from their years of Board service to take on further exciting challenges.
Our major strategic planning advisor, Joel Bailey is now growing his own inspiring leadership business – Impact Society – helping everyday managers become world-changing leaders.
William Blank remains busy at work with his Associate Director – Development role at Hall Contracting and also as Vice-President of the Australia Pacific Business Council.
Special thanks to outgoing Secretary Chris Carboon for his service on the Board since 2018 and in particular for his sterling work on updating the Rules & Regulations.
Past Chair Will Glamore, Professor at UNSW’s Water Research Laboratory is also now co-Founder of Restore Blue -The World’s First Blue Carbon Service Provider.
Although he has stepped down from the Board, Scott Keane remains very connected as PIANC AU-NZ Maritime Commission Technical Lead.
After over eleven years at the Port of Newcastle, Jackie Spiteri is now leading her own sustainability advisory company SESG. We thank her for all that she did for PIANC AU-NZ in that pressing area.