An affinity for math laid the foundation for him to study civil engineering at Wits university, while a love of structures prompted him to obtain his Masters in structural engineering and project management.
“Straight after studying, I started working for a company called SMEC South Africa, designing bridges and culverts. I then moved to WSP, which has been my home for the past six years,” he relates.
It is a move that he has not regretted, as WSP has a distinctive approach to the projects that it undertakes. Craig explains that WSP is more technology driven than many other companies, which encompasses the use of digital engineering. Additionally, the management team is quite hands-on and supportive of its project teams.
“I have also found that WSP offers greater opportunity for and access to international work. Because we have a global team, we frequently work to international design standards. Additionally, the scale of the projects tends to be large. This means we can complete the full spectrum of engineering services that a lot of consultants elsewhere may not be exposed to,” he enthuses.
Regarding engineering projects, bridges, which draw on his structural engineering background, remain Craig's passion. He explains that bridge projects are compelling as they are largely in the engineer's hands from conception to completion. “As the bridge engineer, it is up to me to design all its components, including aesthetically, and thus work on the full spectrum of what it entails,” he notes.
This differs from buildings, for example, where a consultant may have an architect involved and only get to design some of the components. With bridge projects, the engineer has more leeway to exert their creativity.
Furthermore, bridge constructions are alluring as they are an essential piece of construction that will be used by thousands of people over many years, and often, connect communities to essential services.
One example amongst many that stands out for Craig is work that WSP did in Guinea, to conduct inspections and capacity calculations of bridges. Because Guinea is quite remote, it posed several logistical challenges.
“We needed to travel to Guinea to conduct visual inspections and then send laboratory teams in to extract samples from the bridges. The whole project was complex as it entailed multiple phases from visual assessments in a remote area, to nondestructive testing, to structural analysis and capacity calculations,” he explains.
Craig has also been involved in multiple local bridge projects, including a post tensioned twin spine bridge recently designed for a large project in South Africa.
“At WSP, there is also a concerted effort to mentor new graduates, and I have a number of them on my team. I quite enjoy upskilling them as much as I possibly can,” he adds.
This has practical benefits as well as altruistic ones. The more quickly WSP can upskill junior engineers, the more quickly they can assist in the company's projects, which enables WSP to secure an even broader spectrum of projects.
Along with building a pathway for junior engineers to cross into becoming more experienced professionals, it also does its bit to help bridge the STEM skills gap that South Africa must cross to get to a brighter future.
When not designing bridges or upskilling the next generation, Craig can be found on the trail on his bike, hiking or at the gym.
