We're governed by nine board members made up of six elected members and up to three appointed members.
Meet our team
Meet the ACE New Zealand board, regional chairs and staff who work together to be the voice of consulting and engineering.
ACE New Zealand Board
Andrea Rickard (President)
Managing Director NZ
Andrea is Managing Director NZ at Beca and a planner / social scientist. She thrives on making a difference and shaping the environments and communities of the future is a big motivator.
Beca
Chris Short (Vice President)
Chief Executive
Chris is the chief executive and a director at CGW Consulting Engineers. He is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management at CGW and has overseen significant growth. He is passionate about helping people realise their potential.
CGW Consulting Engineers
Penny Kneebone
Chief Executive
Chief Executive of a mid-size, employee-owned, environmental and engineering consultancy with deep roots in Aotearoa and a healthy desire to connect with the world.
Tonkin + Taylor
Victoria Mills
Environmental Engineer
Victoria is an associate environmental engineer at Beca and is also our 2023 Emerging Leader Award winner.
Beca
Jo Orr
Technical Director – Advisory
Jo is a chartered engineer (CEng MICE) and technical director in the advisory team at Mott MacDonald. She is passionate about the role engineers have on the environment and is a champion for the Inclusive Network for Women at Mott McDonald.
Mott MacDonald
Siobhan Hartwell
Regional General Manager NZ Pacific
Siobhan has broad industry experience, both locally and globally, prior governance roles and senior management experience.
GHD
L’Rey Renata
Water Engineer
L’Rey has a robust background in governance and a deep commitment to te ao Māori and Rangatahi perspectives. She joins the ACE Board as an Emerging Director.
GHD
Byron Konia
Senior Mechanical Engineer and Māori Advisor
Byron is an advocate for weaving te ao Māori through the engineering and consulting industry, creating authentic partnerships and highlighting employment opportunities for Māori.
Brad Rooney
General Manager
Brad is a passionate business leader focused on people, clients and innovation, with extensive experience in the electricity industry in New Zealand and Australia. He enjoys working with his team and clients to create fit-for-purpose solutions.
Electronet
Blake Mitchell
Partner - Project Controls
Blake understands both ends of the ACE member organisation spectrum, having worked for both a large global engineering design firm and more recently a growing local consultancy.
Frequency
Regional Chairs
12 regional chairs are elected each year to facilitate ACE New Zealand’s activities and initiatives regionally.
Scott Bosworth
Otago/Southland
Scott is an experienced project manager and mechanical engineer who has worked on large-scale engineering and construction projects in New Zealand and abroad.
Frequency
Bryan Chen
Waikato
Bryan is a geotechnical and civil engineer at G.DECO. He has 15 years’ consulting experience in geotechnical, civil and railway in New Zealand, China and Bolivia. Bryan is passionate about delivering sustainable and economical solutions.
G.DECO
Andrew Davidson
Canterbury/West Coast
As Work Group Manager – Structures for WSP, Andrew is passionate about continuously improving outcomes within our industry. Named a finalist for the Engineering New Zealand Young Engineer of the Year in 2018, he's a motivated people leader.
WSP
Steph McLeod
Nelson/Blenheim
Steph has on-the-ground delivery experience, commercial experience, people leadership and conflict resolution experience. She is passionate about promoting our industry to ensure diversity and inclusion.
Stantec
Campbell Ogilvie
Manawatu
Campbell has technical experience in the contaminated land, hydrogeology and geotechnical engineering fields, and spent the majority of the last 15 years as a project manager on large infrastructure projects in the transport, mining, power and buildings s
WSP (Palmerston North)
Luke Price
Gisborne/Hawkes Bay
Strata Group Consulting Engineers
Elizabeth Richardson
Auckland
Liz is a technical director at Beca. She has over 20 years’ experience working as a structural engineer, both here and overseas. She enjoys the collaborative nature of the industry and opportunity to meet and learn from others.
Beca
Friso Roest
Northland
As a water Engineer with WSP Friso is glad to contribute time and effort to further ACE's goals in Northland from his base in Whangarei, to be an advocate for all members and to best anticipate the great potential for consultancy and engineering.
WSP
Kākati Royal
Northshore
Kākati brings a dynamic professional background encompassing engineering, finance, economics, and tribal leadership.
AECOM
Thabit Shams
Wellington
Thabit has extensive commercial and technical skills in my roles and responsibilities at private and public sectors, including governance level.
GHD
Chad Williams
Taranaki
Chad is a civil engineer at Beca in the Taranaki region. He believes integrity is his greatest strength. He's spent the past 10 years contracting which has provided him with a practical skill base and industry knowledge to drive projects to success.
Beca
Mary Wood
Bay of Plenty
Mary is a civil engineer with a focus on 3-waters infrastructure – strategy, analysis and design with more than 20 years of consulting experience, and the last 5 years based in Tauranga.
GHD
Staff directory
Meet the people who work for ACE New Zealand.
Helen Davidson
Chief Executive
Helen is an experienced executive with a background in law, policy and dispute resolution. She loves that every day she works to support our sector in shaping the future of Aotearoa.
ACE New Zealand
Julia Byers
General Manager of Strategy and Government Relations
Julia leads our strategic programmes and Government relations, taking the lead on advocating for our members as they navigate an increasingly complex environment.
ACE New Zealand
Hannah Bryce
General Manager of Engagement
Hannah is responsible for strategic engagement, member experience, partnerships and business development at ACE New Zealand.
ACE New Zealand
Suzie Hart
Communications and Marketing Manager
Suzie is our communications and marketing manager providing strategic advice and support to enhance ACE New Zealand's influence, connections, and engagement with members and stakeholders.
ACE New Zealand
Auckland
Sharon Jansen
Finance and Governance Manager
Sharon is responsible for overseeing financial operations including budgeting, reporting, and leading the annual audit process. She also provides strategic governance support to the Board and ARFC, ensuring effective decision-making and compliance.
ACE New Zealand
Michelle Sloan
Membership and Digital Manager
Michelle leads our member attraction strategy and is the kaitiaki of our member journey. She oversees digital experiences, digital design and website development. She has a human-centered approach putting people at the heart of everything.
ACE New Zealand
Sarah Fahy
Communications Specialist
Sarah is our content writer and communications specialist at ACE New Zealand.
ACE New Zealand
Nicole Seadon
Executive Assistant
Working away behind the scenes, Nicole is responsible for diary management and administrative support.
ACE New Zealand
Holly Barnard
Programme Director - Diversity Agenda
Holly leads the The Diversity Agenda programme.
ACE New Zealand
Yasmin Rudman-Cruse
Business Support Advisor and ACE Awards Operations Co-ordinator
Yasmin is our Business Support Advisor and ACE Awards Operations Co-ordinator, providing vital business and administrative support across the organisation, while managing the behind-the-scenes operations of the annual ACE Awards.
ACE New Zealand
Craig Watson
DEI Lead - Diversity Agenda
Craig is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Lead at the Diversity Agenda.
Diversity Agenda