Located in our Brisbane office, Rob believes that with strong client relationships comes customer retention and the opportunity to deliver the biggest and the best projects likely to shape our city’s skyline. He says, “Our success as a firm is reliant on our ability to provide innovative solutions to projects. The more we buy into this philosophy, the more successful we will be as a firm.”
Speaking from an engineer’s perspective, Rob believes that the opportunity to shape the cities of the future and creating communities that thrive are the driving forces in his success. “Some of my favourite projects have been the ones where the project team including stakeholders have formed close relationships on projects,” says Rob.
“In leading the Q1 development on the Gold Coast, which was then the tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere, and more recently the Centre for Children’s Health Research in Brisbane, as projects that have had a major influence on our community and where the project teams have come together to deliver something truly amazing.
“What I think really spurred my interest in community focused projects and client centricity were stints in rural Australia working closely with Indigenous communities to help them access certain necessities needed for a better way of life. I also spent time in Darwin, Tasmania and then much further abroad in the UK where I was lucky enough to work on heritage buildings upgrading their fire protection systems, following the fires at Windsor Castle in the early 1990’s.”
Having been with the firm nearly 24 years, Rob speaks proudly of the businesses inclusive culture and attributes it to its overall success. He says, “Our Brisbane team worked so closely together that we felt the ups and downs of our projects as one. It meant that we celebrated birthdays, births and project milestones together which helped to foster a money can’t buy culture and also meant we went above and beyond to deliver successful outcomes for our clients.”
With one eye on the future, Rob says, “For our next generation to come through as highly technical and personable professionals, we need to leverage the experience of our leaders to help graduates and young professionals reach their peak.”
“Teams who reflect society is also an important spoke in the wheel. When I look for new people to join our firm, I look for those who fully reflect our guiding principles, for those who have interests beyond engineering and for those who have a passion for creating places for people and societies to thrive. It is part of how we breed an inclusive culture at WSP.
He continues, “I’m a firm believer that with balanced teams helping to breed a fantastic business culture, we can deliver better outcomes for our clients. If we look to other stakeholders within the property industry, architects have been leading the way in this respect for a long time and as the fight for talent continues to deepen, there is potential to learn a lot from them.”
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance, Rob packs his weekends and downtime full of extra-curricular activities. He explains, “I grew up on the beach so the water has always been a passion of mine. Growing up I was heavily involved at my local Surf Life Saving club and now that my kids are involved in swim squads of their own, I love waking up with a swim to keep myself fit and ready myself for the day ahead.
“Our family time also involves kids sport where I’m the manager of my sons Under 14’s Soccer side. Beyond that, as a family we like spend as much time outdoors as possible going on bush walks and going surfing.”
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