“The purpose of my role as business leader is to foster and inspire the growth and performance environment of our team. Our involvement must benefit the clients and communities we work with, through both immediate impacts and the longer-term legacies that infrastructure can provide.”
A chartered engineer, Rob’s 30-year professional career has seen him in roles as a transport planner, project leader and business manager in New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa.
Rob describes his position and way of working as a ‘connector role.’ He wants his clients to access the best support and services from across the wider industry, and he is adept at fostering these connections. Rob ensures that the establishment phases of projects and programmes are fit-for-purpose and create a strong foundation for success. This success means Rob enjoys long-lasting and trust-based relationships with clients, community leaders, key stakeholders and the wider industry.
Rob remains involved in the large-scale NZTA Ōtaki to north of Levin (Ō2NL) project which he has been involved in since 2019. Initially involved as Project Manager and Project Director, as well as working in the Project Leadership Team, Rob was responsible for re-establishing the project and developing the agreed project strategy and outcomes. The outcome was an approved Detailed Business Case (DBC). Along with establishing successful project structures and processes, Rob created an enduring ‘results-based’ culture in the team, with core project management functions and technical requirements. More recently, Rob was the workstream leader developing partnership foundations and Agreements with Iwi partners (now integrated into the Owner Team and Alliance partners). This work resulted in genuine relationships and partnership support and legacy outcomes for the ongoing development of this important project.
As Project Manager and Owner Interface Manager for the Mt Messenger Alliance (Te Ara o te Ata), Rob was privileged to work alongside the technical teams and project partner, Ngāti Tama, to establish the project, develop the DBC and procure the alliance team, before seeking statutory (RMA) approvals. His time spent on the whenua with Ngāti Tama kaitiaki and other directly affected landowners provided a key perspective for the development of the project and required mitigations. Rob was also the overarching Programme Manager for the SH3 Awakino Gorge to Mt Messenger Programme, responsible for facilitating technical workstreams, stakeholder engagements and Business Case development across 3 Crown funded Accelerated projects.
Resolve Group’s reputation as a trusted advisor for clients was a drawcard to Rob as client satisfaction is extremely important to him. Joining the team in mid-2024, Rob quickly recognised the strong alignment of his own values with those of Resolve Group. He says that the opportunities for personal and professional growth, combined with a strong supporting environment, made choosing to join Resolve Group – a client’s own consulting team – an easy decision.
Rob offers his clients:
- A broad perspective on technical disciplines, processes and teamwork that collectively produce the outcomes clients seek from their investments.
- An ability to foster productive and constructive relationships across organisations and with community leaders who are highly influential in planning and delivering project outcomes.
- A passion for working directly within client teams, often leading them in early stages, to set up the approaches needed for future success. Rob loves to inspire with a positive ‘can do’ attitude.
- The experience to develop and deliver DBCs in line with the Treasury Better Business Case and Waka Kotahi Business Case Approach, which means smarter more transparent investment decisions
- Positive enquiry
- A proven technical background in engineering, transport planning, and project management fundamentals – which sit at the core of large- and small-scale infrastructure projects
Rob’s approach to life both personally and professionally is summed up in his favourite quote :
“Achievement comes from doing great things by myself. Success comes from empowering others to do great things for me. Significance comes from developing leaders to do great things with me. Legacy comes from putting leaders into positions to do great things without me.”
John C. Maxwell
Rob’s ‘happy place’ is when he is with his active family and friends, ideally in nature with weekends spent surfing, snowboarding or skating. Rob can also be found utilising New Zealand’s great cycling and tramping trails and loves camping. His cycling pedigree has seen him compete in multiple endurance events such as stage racing (Wellington to Auckland) and the Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge.
Rob and his family have been fostering children in need since his arrival in New Zealand in 2016. He volunteers with the local Paremata Sailing Club and has been a trustee on the Hutt International Boys’ School Board of Proprietors.