The CEO of engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Aurecon, Giam Swiegers, recently announced a number of new leadership appointments as the global firm ramped up its investment in its advisory practice to support a growing demand for optimised infrastructure, digitisation and asset consulting services across the Built Environment, Energy and Resources and Infrastructure sectors.

Two senior advisory leaders Brad McBean and Stuart Cassie have joined the firm; McBean as Aurecon’s global Advisory Managing Director and Cassie as its ANZ Advisory Market Director. McBean joins Aurecon from his previous role as Partner within the Strategy Practice (Strategy&) at PwC Management Consulting and Cassie as PwC Managing Director Capital Projects.

Increasing advisory strengths
Swiegers has also commissioned independent consultant Gerhard Vorster, most recently Deloitte’s Chief Strategy Officer and previously Deloitte’s consulting leader in Australia, South Africa, and South East Asia, to advise on the growth of Aurecon’s global Advisory business.

McBean, Cassie and Vorster will join Matt Coetzee (ANZ) and Dr Chris Von Holdt (South Africa) to form the leadership team of Aurecon’s Advisory Practice.

Swiegers adds, “As one of Australia’s biggest providers of infrastructure and engineering services, Aurecon is seeing an increasing demand for consulting advice around supply chain, asset optimisation, portfolio, programme and project optimisation and the digitisation of infrastructure across both our private and public sector clients.”

“With a focus on the rapidly changing face of key areas of infrastructure such as Transport and Cities, these leaders will work closely with Aurecon’s Chief Digital Officer Dr Andrew Maher to develop Aurecon’s solutions to support the digitisation of infrastructure.”

Connectivity is key
“Aurecon is responding to the enormous demand around the world to improve connectivity of people and freight. This is driving a surge in infrastructure investment in places like Sydney and Melbourne, as well as focus by organisations to drive productivity improvements and work their existing assets harder.”

“This is delivering growth in our AUD100-million core advisory business, underpinned by the demand for technical and engineering expertise, as infrastructure stakeholders navigate an increasingly digitised world. Responding to these market trends is already seeing Aurecon enter into strategic partnerships, rather than competing, with established advisory firms,” he says.
“McBean, Cassie and Vorster trained as engineers and have built and sustained world-class supply chain and procurement capabilities as well as advisory practices across a number of industry segments. I am delighted to welcome them to Aurecon.”

“The engineering and infrastructure industry faces huge change and challenges over the next few years. In a commoditised market, subject to disruptive technology, we must respond to the constantly shifting business landscape. This means knowing our clients and their businesses better than our competitors and excelling in bringing innovation and expertise to the table to help solve their most difficult problems,” says  Swiegers.

Smart cities forward
“Our clients are facing uncertainty. With emerging ‘smart city’ demands, coupled with significant infrastructure improvement, and now innovative approaches to funding, it makes for an exciting but unpredictable future. Helping our clients manage this, utilising these trends to their advantage, is also very exciting,” comments McBean.

“McBean, Cassie and Vorster have all worked and built a range of advisory businesses and embrace the nexus between technology and business outcomes. This will ensure that organisations are proactively evolving in order to be future ready. This is a key characteristic of successful businesses and is what will drive Aurecon and its clients’ future growth and profitability,” concludes Swiegers.

McBean’s appointment as Managing Director, Advisory, accompanies several other significant appointments – Andrew Muller as Chief Financial Officer; Michael Shirley as Managing Director, Clients; Dr Andrew Maher as Chief Digital Officer; and Maureen Thurston as Global Director, Design to Innovate.