Roads Australia
The current members of Roads Australia Board are:
Ray Fisher is currently President of the Australian Road Federation as well as World Executive Board Member of the International Road Federation and a member of the Arts Angels Council for the Victorian Arts Centre.
Over a period spanning the last 25 years, Ray has managed a number of large and medium size companies in both Australia and overseas, as a Chief Executive and Director. Until December 2003 Mr Fisher was CEO of Emoleum, a joint venture between Rinker (previously CSR) and ExxonMobil.
He has an MBA (Deakin University) and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Sydney University).
He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Member of the Institute of Engineers and a Life Member of the Graduate Management Association of Australia.
Ray has a very extensive range of interests in sport - including golf, skiing, bush walking, bike riding and tennis; in the arts - especially dance, theatre and music. He has travelled extensively and lived in several parts of the world and still enjoys discovering new lands, people and cultures.
Tim Boyle is Global Chief Operating Officer at Sinclair Knight Merz.
Prior to his appointment as global COO in July 2007, Mr Boyle was SKM's General Manager, Infrastructure. He remains an Executive Director of Sinclair Knight Merz Management Pty Ltd and member of the Audit Committee.
Mr Boyle is a civil engineer with over 30 years experience. During his career he has been involved in projects across a broad range of SKM's businesses, including mining, industrial, water, environmental, building and urban infrastructure projects. He has also played a significant role negotiating major Alliance and Design & Construct Contracts and has successfully integrated new businesses into the Sinclair Knight Merz Group.
David Stuart-Watt is the Director of Licensing, Registration and Freight with the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority, as well as a Director of ARRB Group, Transport Certification Australia and the former Tow Truck Authority of NSW.
David has held senior executive roles for the past fourteen years and has over thirty years experience in infrastructure, regulation, traffic and transport.
He holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Engineering, a Master of Business Administration, FIEA and MAICD
Michael trained as a civil engineer and has nearly 30 years experience. He has qualifications in business management and an engineering masters degree in project and construction management.
Management of existing State road networks has been Michael's focus for the past 20 years, across both Tasmania and New South Wales. In Tasmania he held various roles in construction, maintenance and road asset management. When he left Tasmania he was responsible for the State Road Network.
Michael moved to NSW in 1998 to take up the role of General Manager Infrastructure Maintenance. He held this role for about 6 years, including a time as acting Regional Manager in the Hunter and a time as acting Director Regional Services.
In January 2005 Michael was appointed as Director Road Safety, Licensing and Vehicle Management. This was a complete career shift allowing a concentration on management and leadership skills in a regulatory environment rather than technical content.
Following the refocussing of the RTA in 2006, Michael was appointed as Director Network Management responsible for long term network planning, maintenance and traffic management for the NSW road network. This included the administration of the private motorway network in NSW.
After a period acting in the role, Michael was appointed Chief Executive of the RTA in July 2009.
Professor Doug Jones AM is an international infrastructure and dispute resolution lawyer. He is a Sydney-based partner in the Australian law firm of Clayton Utz where he heads the International Arbitration and Major Projects Groups of the firm.
He is involved in both transactional and contentious work, and in relation to the latter acts as counsel, arbitrator and mediator.
Doug’s infrastructure experience includes roads, railways, dams and tunnels, major buildings, petrochemical and LNG plant design and construction, thermal, gas, hydro, wind and co-generation electricity generation construction. He has also had experience in PFI and PPP projects including toll roads, power plants, waste and potable water, and Defence projects.
He has lead transactional teams on behalf of government for a number of complex PPP transactions of an aggregate value in excess of $35bn including (for Victoria) Melbourne CityLink and EastLink, (for NSW) Cross City Tunnel, M7 and Lane Cove Tunnel, (for Queensland and the Brisbane City Council) CleM7,Airport Link and Northern Link.
He provides ongoing strategic advice to the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation on the construction of the line, provision and commissioning of systems and acquisition, commissioning and maintenance of rolling stock for this US$16 billion PPP project. The construction of the high speed rail line between Taipei and Kaoshiung is the world's largest BOT of its time.
Amongst positions held Doug is President of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration, Deputy President and President elect 2011, of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London), Vice President of Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Group, President of the Dispute Resolution Board of Australasia Inc. and Director of the Board of Roads Australia. From 2007-2009 he was Co-Chair of the International Projects Committee of the IBA).
He is Professorial Fellow in the Law School of Melbourne University and Adjunct Professor in the Law Schools of Notre Dame University Australia and Murdoch University.
In January 1999 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his services to construction law and dispute resolution.
Gary Liddle was appointed as the Chief Executive of VicRoads in March 2007.
Gary joined the Country Roads Board (the predecessor of VicRoads) as a graduate civil engineer in 1971. Prior to his current role, he held various positions in VicRoads including Deputy Chief Executive, Director Major Projects, General Manager Road System Management and Project Manager for the Eastern Freeway and the Ballarat Bypass. He also worked with the United Kingdom Highways Agency for a short period in late 1999.
Gary is a Board member and Chair of Austroads, the Australasian organisation of road authorities. He is also the Chairman of the Australian Chapter of the Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia (REAAA) and a member of the REAAA Governing Council.
Gary is a Board Member of the ARRB Group and of the Linking Melbourne Authority.
Gary has a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) and a Graduate Diploma in Management.
Philip Lovel is the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Transport Association, representing over 800 freight and logistics companies in all sectors of the industry.
Philip has represented the freight and logistics industry for over twenty years and holds many senior positions on industry and government bodies. He is passionate about the need to provide new infrastructure for the freight industry to meet growth over the next twenty years.
In 2007 Philip was awarded as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia, in recognition of his work in the transport industry. Mr Lovel was honoured for: “Service to the transport industry through the Victorian Transport Association, particularly road transport and workplace safety, to the implementation of safer and higher productivity vehicles, and to community liaison on behalf of the industry.”
Ken Mathers is the Chief Executive Officer of Linking Melboourne Authority.
A Civil Engineer with a wealth of experience in road infrastructure planning and implementation, Ken has been involved in some of Victoria’s most significant road infrastructure developments including the Western Ring Road, Monash Freeway and Melbourne CityLink.
After an involvement in the planning of CityLink at VicRoads, Ken joined the Melbourne City Link Authority as Director, Engineering and Operations in 1995. He participated in the development of documentation, bid assessment and the overview of design and construction until completion of the CityLink Project.
Ken then worked as a private consultant specialising in major road projects from 2001 until appointment to his current role in SEITA on establishment of this new special purpose statutory authority.
Ken’s professional endeavours include involvement with Engineers Australia where he served as Chairman of the Victorian Division in 1999 and on the National Council between 2000 and 2003. In 2006 and 2007, Ken was included in the list of Australia's 100 Most Influential Engineers.
Phil Mumford joined Queensland Motorways as Chief Executive Officer in July 2004. Phil leads the Company's commitment to delivering the highest level of service to the users of Queensland Motorways' road network. He has extensive experience in consolidating organisations and driving customer service strategies.
With a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy), Phil has a strong financial background including substantial involvement in both public and private sectors. Phil has also held a number of significant senior positions primarily within the maritime industry.
Key leadership roles he has held are Queensland State Manager for Towage & Salvage with Adsteam Marine, and 10 years as Chief Executive Officer with Bundaberg Port Authority.
David Saxelby is a qualified Civil Engineer from Sydney University with more than 30 years of senior management and project experience in the fields of Civil Infrastructure, Building and Mining. Appointed to the role of Managing Director at Thiess in February 2007, David is responsible for leading and developing one of Australasia’s largest integrated engineering, mining and services contracting organisations. Thiess currently has approximately $13 billion of work in hand, over 16,000 employees and diverse operations in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, India and UAE.
David commenced his career with Thiess as General Manager NSW/ACT in 1993, and was responsible for growing the Business Unit from annual revenue of $100 million in 1993 to almost $750 million by 1997. During this time he was responsible for projects including the Pacific Highway Upgrade, the Mount Owen Coal Mine and diverse works for the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics.
In December 2000, on his appointment as Executive General Manager Southern Region, the Victorian, South Australian, Tasmanian and New Zealand operations were added to his responsibilities, followed by Western Australia in January 2004. David led the winning joint venture bid teams on the Epping-Chatswood Rail Line, Lane Cove Tunnel Project and EastLink Motorway, taking overall responsibility for Major Projects nationally.
In his previous role as Chief Executive Australian Operations, David was responsible for the control and success of all onshore and near-Pacific operations and led a team of General Managers and Project Directors on some of the nation’s largest projects.
With David as Managing Director, Thiess has consolidated its position as a leading provider of economic and social infrastructure and is now delivering the largest Public Private Partnership project in Australia – Brisbane’s $4.2 billion Airport Link /Northern Busway project and the Royal North Shore Hospital redevelopment in Sydney. Under his direction, the company has expanded its operations in Indonesia and entered new markets in India and the United Arab Emirates.
A champion of Thiess’ culture of innovation and best practice in the areas of construction, engineering, operations and maintenance, David also encourages excellence in occupational health and safety, environmental, community, workplace relations and training initiatives. It is an approach which has frequently extended beyond Thiess to be recognised positively by the wider construction industry.
David is a highly motivated, dynamic leader with a genuine commitment to building and maintaining long-term, collaborative relationships. He brings extensive experience across the engineering, building and mining sectors, including the development of innovative alliance and partnering agreements. David’s technical expertise and familiarity with high-level commercial, industrial and contractual negotiations have cemented his position as one of the industry’s most respected chief executives.
David serves the industry though his membership on the Boards of the Minerals Council of Australia, the Australian Constructors Association and Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and Roads Australia.
Brett Smythe is the Roads Division Manager with Leighton Contractors in NSW and the ACT, with the accountability for the road infrastructure operations of the business. Key projects for the Roads Division currently include the Southern Hume Duplication Project (Northern Hume Alliance), the Ballina Bypass Alliance and the M2 Upgrade Alliance.
With a construction career spanning more than 17 years, Brett has amassed a wealth of experience across a wide range of civil infrastructure projects in Australia and South East Asia.
Prior to his appointment as Roads Division Manager in October 2007, Brett spent 10 years with Leighton International Ltd, working in both senior management and project roles. Brett was the Project Director for the US$120 million Tangguh LNG project in Papua, Indonesia and a Supervisory Board Member on the US$145 million BHP Port Headland Marine project in Western Australia. As Project Manager, Brett also negotiated and led the delivery of a 65km rail duplication and station upgrade project in Indonesia and the Musi Pulp Mill project in South Sumatra.
Prior to joining Leighton Contractors, Brett spent two years in senior engineering roles with Balfour Beatty International in Malaysia and Indonesia and he began his career as a Structural Design Engineer with various companies in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Brett holds an Honours degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Newcastle (Australia).
Alan Tesch has over 20 years experience in senior positions across the Queensland public sector, with the principal focus being on policy development, implementation and service delivery.
Alan was appointed Director-General of Main Roads in 2005. Prior to joining Main Roads, Alan was Deputy Director-General in Queensland Transport.
Prior to his move into the Transport portfolio, Alan was at Treasury where, as Assistant Under Treasurer, he variously had responsibility for overseeing and delivering economic policy for the State Government, Statge Government finances (including the State Budget), State tax policy, capital markets and financial markets policy, infrastructure and commercial negotiations and intergovernmental relations.
Alan also had responsibility for runnigng the Queensland Government's Aligning Services and Priorities agenda and was responsible for establishing and leading the Office of Energy in the early 2000s.
Alan holds a number of board positions and company directorships on behalf of the government, including Queensland Motorways Limited, the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority, Austroads, Roads Australia and ARRB Group. He is currently the Chair of Austroads.
Formal qualifications consist of an Economics Honours Degree from the University of Queenlsand and maintenance of a number of professional associations, including Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Finance and Treasury Association, the Australian Institute of Management, Engineers Australia, CEDA and the Economic Society of Australia and New Zealand.
Peter Walton is General Manager, Major Projects & Technical Services Group with Abigroup Contractors. Peter has worked for Abigroup since 1982 in the procurement and delivery of many types of civil and building construction projects.
Most recently, Peter was the Engineering and Controls Manager on the Westlink M7 Motorway in Sydney and previously Project Director and Project Manager on Warragamba Dam upgrading, two Olympic Infrastructure projects, several RTA NSW freeway projects, four other large dams and open cut mining operations.
Peter holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil).
CHAIR - Alan Tesch, Associate Director General, Department of Transport & Main Roads, QLD
DEPUTY CHAIR - Phil Davies, Industry Director, Transport Planning and Advisory, AECOM
CHAIR - David Stuart-Watt, Regional Director NSW, Parsons Brinckerhoff
DEPUTY CHAIR - Pater Walton. General Manager, Major Projects, Abigroup Contractors
CHAIR - Tim Boyle, Chief Operating Officer, Sinclair Knight Merz
DEPUTY CHAIR - Andrew Head, Group General Manager, Strategy and Corporate Development, Transurban
CHAIR - Peter Walton, General Manager, Major Projects, Abigroup Contractors
DEPUTY CHAIR - Jay Stricker, Technical Director, Environment, Water and Civil Infrastructure Group, AECOM
Ian Webb has an extensive background in the management of strategic issues at peak industry level. He has also worked in industries with a strong emphasis on road transport.
After gaining political and negotiating experience through 15 years as a career diplomat, Ian served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Premier of NSW. His subsequent appointments include Chairman of the NSW Egg Corporation, and Chief Executive of both the Sydney and the Melbourne Wholesale Markets (1991 - 1999). Most recently, Ian has been Executive Director of the United Dairy Farmers Association of Victoria. Ian has also headed a number of industry inquiries.
Ian applies this experience to the challenges that now confront the Roads Australia. "I enjoy working with industry stakeholders to add value to what they can achieve individually", Ian said. "Success depends on building a common purpose and developing the linkages needed to be persuasive in key policy areas."
According to Ian, the expansion of the road transport sector and the proliferation of related public policy issues make Roads Australia membership a sound investment. "Serious players in the industry cannot afford to be without representation at industry level in policy formulation and debate which may ultimately impact on their own bottom line. Beyond this, a raft of environmental, safety and infrastructural issues are now being addressed at both state and national level"
"My top priority is ensuring that what the Roads Australia delivers is relevant to the needs of members - adding value to what they can already do individually."
Advocacy is a case in point. Ian says that to be effective, the Roads Australia needs to be credible and responsible. "Our members manage the road transport sector on behalf of the entire community. All road users and consumers are ultimately stakeholders. The Roads Australia is by no means a sectional interest group. Instead, it helps to bring the combined expertise of the industry to bear on transport issues in the public interest. This is reflected in a membership base that includes government agencies as well as commercial service providers."
Ian also believes that the Roads Australia can add value by facilitating information exchange between members and creating opportunities to access new ideas. He sees the Roads Australia as a forum for innovation and review. It also provides a resource for members to draw on the experience and expertise of their industry peers.
Ian sums it up by saying, "Putting it simply, the Roads Australia needs to be a member-driven organisation. As Chief Executive my number one priority will be to put 'more rubber on the road' in terms of value for members."
Rachael has 15 years of HR and Marketing experience across a number of industries. Rachael has worked for National Rail, CRA, Minenco (CRA/Rio Tinto), AAPA and more recently CSR Emoleum/Emoleum as their Marketing Manager until 2004 and and as a Consultant. Rachael then joined Roads Australia to assist with event management, website management and member services.
Mark Bowmer's career in journalism and corporate communications spans almost 30 years. He started in metropolitan and print media before stints with a Federal Parliamentarian and the NSW Chamber of Manufactures. For the past 15 years he has worked in the public relations field, specialising in the building and construction markets with clients including BlueScope Steel and Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia.
Sarah Hendy manages Roads Australia's head office and the front of house at most of our large events. Sarah is an experienced office and association administrator. Her previous experience includes office management within a Minister's office and as Board Secretary for the Royal Australian Chemical Association. Sarah has been working with Roads Australia now for 4 years and can assist with all general enquiries.