“The encouragement I’ve received to learn and grow within my role has also let me support and assist other staff members to do the same. And this, in turn, has let me feel that I am making a positive contribution to the world. Honestly, what more can a job deliver?”

Way back in 1993, while Dawn was doing her MCom, Philippa Walker, one of the founding partners of Resolve Group, gave her a job. They stayed in touch after she moved to PwC and then overseas, and Philippa became not just a mentor, but a friend. When she returned to NZ in 2008, Philippa gave her a temporary position and things worked so well for both sides that she remained.

Dawn lists one of the most significant things that has kept her at Resolve Group as the company culture Martin and Phillipa have instilled. This includes, most importantly, high regard for the wellbeing of its employees, which comes along with the deep value they place on family, their own and those of their staff.

She says, “This adaptable and thoughtful company culture, has let me raise a daughter on my own and allowed me to shape my job to meet my own needs alongside the requirements of the positions I’ve held.”

Dawn also attributes this culture of care to our high retention rates and our high workplace ‘wellness’ scores and is pleased to support it being sustained and adapted by our Senior Leadership Team.

With over 20 years’ experience as a management consultant and internal auditor, Dawn has implemented management accounting systems for Manukau City Council, Transit, Serco and Merial Pharmaceuticals. As Resolve Group’s Business Manager, Dawn’s work is focused on finance, legal, corporate governance and insurance.

When she is not working, Dawn is adjusting to her recently emptied nest which has given her time to do more voluntary work with The Spirit of Work NZ, Engineers Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity and as a mentor to business students.

“My background is in construction management and road safety; this evolved into applying sound road safety practices through Intelligent Transport Systems. Today, I apply these skills by leading others in my team to deliver quality transport engineering solutions for our clients.”

Starting as a Construction Engineer, Steve’s civil and transport engineering skills have been honed in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Early in his career with Resolve Group, which he joined in 2007, he spent a number of years as the Application Manager for DYNAC, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s National Incident Management System. This experience has left him with an ongoing interest in Intelligent Transport System projects and he says the skills gained in this role continue to be invaluable in delivering some of the more complex projects he manages in the transportation industry.

Key clients also include Auckland International Airport Ltd, Auckland Transport and Kainga Ora, where he has recently become more specialised in Engineer to the Contract Services. Internationally, Steve has provided maintenance and delivery advisory services for Transport for New South Wales, Transport for Victoria, and MainRoads Western Australia.

Steve has been a member of the Resolve Group Senior Leadership Team for the past six years and was recently appointed to the role of Business Delivery Manager. He sees this as an exciting opportunity to apply lessons and insights gained from collaborating with clients and industry partners, and to work with his team to grow this part of the business and to implement new business practices.

Steve says building a long-lasting rapport and gaining the respect of clients are strengths of Resolve Group that he himself appreciates. “It’s great to see how Resolve Group has been able to work so closely with clients over the years to help them solve their more difficult or unusual problems. Our work varies significantly in size, complexity and duration, often spanning several years, and the fact that clients stick with us, and keep coming back to us, is a testament to Resolve Group as truly trusted advisors.”

Steve offers his clients:

• A ‘lead-by-example’ leadership style that also recognises the subtleties of working with diverse groups of people, both within Resolve Group and also with our clients and stakeholders.
• The ability to approach complex projects with a high degree of agility and lateral thinking, especially useful when requirements change during the lifecycle of a project.
• A pragmatic approach to problem solving that strikes a balance between process and outcome-focused thinking.
• A sound background in Operations and Maintenance system delivery.
• A proven technical background in road safety, technology implementation and Project Management.

Steve hopes to be able to give his two daughters the kiwi upbringing that he enjoyed, with a high priority on the great outdoors. When not spending time with his young family, Steve’s lifelong love of water-based activities – fishing, swimming, kite surfing – help him maintain a good work/life balance. He is also known to partake in the occasional mountain bike ride when time allows.