“Our industry is about people. Despite all the other variables associated with projects and infrastructure management, successful results always come back to the people involved and how they work together as a team. Give people the right conditions to succeed and it’s amazing to see the outcomes that can be achieved.” 

Ben values working alongside well-connected and well-respected peers. He also enjoys how adaptable the team at Resolve Group is and the variety of work he is involved in. He joined the company in 2015 and gets a lot of satisfaction from his role developing and maintaining client relationships. He says, “the company’s vision of being a team of experienced way-finders and industry leaders who foster long-term relationships within the infrastructure industry resonates with me.”  

Involved in the development and delivery of several Public Private Partnership infrastructure contracts while based in Canada, his return to New Zealand has seen him work in a variety of infrastructure advisory roles for a diverse set of public sector clients (including Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, the NZ Defence Force and several councils) across asset management, project delivery, procurement and the management of complex work programmes.  

Ben’s experience in structure asset management includes managing contracting teams undertaking operational maintenance on the strategically important Auckland Harbour Bridge. He was also a key member of the team responsible for procurement and delivery of the Whakapapa Sky Waka Gondola Project, constructed within a dual UNESCO World Heritage site at Mt Ruapehu.  

More recently, Ben led the procurement of professional services alliances for Auckland Light Rail and the Additional Waitematā Harbour Connections projects, both delivered to very ambitious timeframes and involving an innovative approach to a complex procurement challenge. 

Ben offers his clients: 

• Creative and intuitive thinking that results in excellent solutions, with an ongoing commitment to innovation. 
• Deep engineering knowledge and experience in structures asset management. 
• Industry-wide awareness, and a keen understanding of, current best practice. 
• A positive, can-do attitude committed to finding solutions and driving projects forward.  
• A strong background in the procurement, delivery and management of infrastructure assets. 
• The ability to step into an established client team and quickly understand goals, needs and issues; no need for ‘handholding’. 
• Strong facilitation skills with an ability to get the best out of diverse groups and find common ground amongst varied viewpoints. 

Ben recently spent six months in Barcelona with his family, exploring the region and working remotely. While there, he saw the end-user benefits of a mature and integrated public transport network, which have given him valuable insights he is sure he can use back home. Here, Ben enjoys running, surfing, hanging out with his daughters and travelling with the family in their retro caravan.  

“Infrastructure is for people and people must be at the core of a project. Great infrastructure is created by great relationships.”

Based in Auckland, Rick is a transportation, procurement and management consulting professional with 40 years’ experience in the road and rail industries. He has held roles as Transit’s Land Transport Manager, National Highways’ Manager and Chief Executive and was also the General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering for KiwiRail.

His professional career has provided him with extensive experience in performance-based contracts, institutional strengthening and asset management. His ‘change management’ capability includes building talented teams with a reputation for innovation and efficiency and identifying and establishing operating capabilities in times of change and transition. More recently as an adviser on major World Bank projects and Gateway Reviewer for large rail projects in Victoria, he has been able to both share his experience and gain an appreciation of emerging best practice

Rick recognises Resolve Group as an industry leader and believes that, as such, it is critical that it remain at the forefront of strengthening institutional knowledge. A personal commitment to enhancing sector-wide capability, and Resolve Group’s vision of guiding clients to deliver transformative solutions and ‘looking around the corner’ to help create more liveable environments, are two of the reasons Rick cites as drivers for himself and the company. As a member of our Strategic Advice team, he is key to maintaining these values.

Rick offers his clients:

• The ability to steer projects through complexity.
• Experience in operationalising demand management to reduce congestion and complement construction.
• Guidance on strategy development, including for start-ups and reforms, incorporating tactical implementation, innovation and efficiency.
• Strategy, planning, development and implementation for major system change, comprising asset management, outsourcing, procurement, performance contracts and private sector collaboration.
• Skills to develop vision, policy, decision making and regulatory frameworks and capabilities in organisational design.
• The creation of platforms for innovation and collaboration through established and respected relationships in the private and public sector.
• Experience in the development of smart growth plans to proactively drive land transport decisions.
• Connections and long-standing relationships across change agendas with leaders from central and local government, businesses and suppliers.

Rick has a vintage car and is a cautious Harley rider (meaning road safety is much more than just a work focus!). He enjoys weekends on the Hauraki Gulf coast. Mountain biking is meant to provide a bit of exercise but making time doesn’t seem to get easier. Of most importance to Rick are his wife, Jeanette, three grown sons and their families and his commitment to a local church.