Brett Ogilvie
Company: Tonkin + Taylor
Job title: Executive Leader - Director
Brett Ogilvie
About Brett
Governance experience in New Zealand and USA, 11 years on the Tonkin + Taylor board. PhD Biology, BA Economics, 30 years' consulting, people leadership, strategy and governance. Worked in >25 countries, and Te Āo Māori.
Whakapapa pepeha
Kō Matawhaura te maunga
Kō Waitahanui te awa
Kō Te Arawa me Mataatua ngā waka
Kō Te Arawa me Ngāti Awa ngā iwi
Kō Ngāti Whakahemo, Ngāti Pukeko me Ngāti Hokopu ngā hapu
Kō Pukehina, Te Hokowhitu a Tū ki Te Rāhui, me Poroporo ngā marae
Kō Ngarokitāwhiti rāua kō Tony ōku mātua
Kō Brett Ogilvie ahau.
Two of my grandparents were from Te Arawa and Ngati Awa in the Bay of Plenty, the other two were from Scotland and England, moving to New Zealand in the 1940s.
Strategic vision
I believe that the global events of the last 18 months represent a tipping point for our society and our place in it as consultants and engineers. They have shown that strong communities need supportive built environments to help them to thrive and be resilient. The member companies of ACE New Zealand can play a key role in providing these, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.
Against a background of change and uncertainty in investment patterns in both the public and private sectors in this country, and change and uncertainty in procurement processes, ACE New Zealand can be an even stronger advocate for its member organisations than it has been in the past. There are opportunities for ACE to further strengthen the connections between our organisations as we collectively help our clients and communities to face challenges such as climate change, housing growing populations, water quality, food supply, habitat loss and the disruption created by the pandemic.
Our industry’s data tell us that we are making good progress towards gender equity, although with some way still to go. However, the data tell us that we still have a huge challenge to create workplaces where rainbow, Māori and Pasifika people can participate equitably. The Diversity Agenda Accord has been a significant milestone, but I believe ACE New Zealand can lead our industry to increase the pace of positive change in this area.
Strengths
- Solid governance track record, built since 2007, within our sector and beyond
- Lived experience of Te Āo Māori, and a resultant understanding of the place of consulting and engineering within it
- International perspectives and networks, from working in more than 25 countries
- Champion for inclusion and diversity - I am Tonkin + Taylor’s representative for the Diversity Agenda Accord
- Understanding of education sector including pathways from tertiary into our industry, from my school governance and university roles
- Champion for innovation
- Hands-on people leadership experience
- Commercial nous, including from governance in the non-profit sector
- Technical expertise in the infrastructure, environmental and sustainability fields, from more than 25 years of consulting experience in New Zealand and overseas
What does diversity and inclusion mean to you?
Diversity is a fact of life, and increasingly so in New Zealand. More than a quarter of New Zealanders identify with the Māori or Pasifika communities, and more than half of Aucklanders are Māori, Pasifika or Asian. Inclusion is a choice we can and should make in our everyday decisions, and in designing our systems, firstly to ensure that our workforces are reflective of the communities that we work with and with (which will make our work more relevant to them) and secondly so that our people feel they can bring their whole selves to work. In addition, there is no shortage of research that shows organisations that have diverse workforces and inclusive workplaces are more profitable and create more long term value than those who don’t.
As a consulting scientist with Māori heritage, who has worked both in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world, including in developing countries in the Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, diversity and inclusion is an area of great passion for me, which is why I asked to be my company’s executive representative at the Diversity Agenda Accord.
Not only do we need to embrace diversity in recruitment processes, but we also need to recognise the diversity in our current workforces, and do what we can to create pathways to diversity in governance and leadership.