Executive Team

Ian is an experienced Financial Services Leader with a record of delivering strong results across different international markets and segments. He is a strong, strategic leader with a proven ability to bring about transformational change.

Ian has earned his reputation predominantly in the banking industry. Holding senior positions at Westpac New Zealand and Australia, like General Manager - Retail Banking, responsible for revenues in excess of $1 billion, or growing market share as the General Manager of Business Banking or being awarded High Achiever status every year as General Manager of Commercial Banking while leading a team of over 1000 staff. Ian has thrived in fast changing environments. 

Most recently as Principal Consultant at Sapience Limited he has been assessing strategy, analysing revenue and making recommendations to investors on key infrastructure projects. This particular experience has made him passionate about our industry and also recognise the opportunities for WSP Opus in New Zealand and Australia. 

His entire career has been characterised by growth, leading large teams and focusing on his clients. 

When he has spare time he likes a run, a game of golf and watching a bit of cricket.

Kelly joined WSP Opus in July 2018 to take up the role of Head of Legal. Kelly and her team advise and support WSP Opus on all issues affecting the business’ operations, proactively identifying and managing legal, regulatory and commercial risks.

Kelly brings a wealth of experience to WSP Opus having spent her 18-year legal career advising stakeholders in the construction and infrastructure sectors within both private practise and in-house counsel roles across New Zealand and Australia.

In her most recent role as General Counsel - Australia at Fulton Hogan in Melbourne, Kelly provided the executive team and senior management with all front-end commercial, regulatory, compliance and strategic legal advice for their subsidiaries in Australia.

Kelly holds Law and Commerce degrees from the University of Auckland and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Melbourne’s specialist Construction Law programme. In 2018 she was named in the Doyle’s Guide as a Leading In-House Construction & Infrastructure Lawyer – Australia.

In her spare time, Kelly enjoys running, playing the piano and baking mega-structures.

Robyn Gillespie is an experienced and energetic leader in IT and Operations. Robyn has spent her career in the sector delivering digital solutions to business problems and creating value both within, and outside, the organisations she has worked in.

She heads up Operations and IT for WSP Opus, which includes Procurement, Quality and Business Process in addition to her IT responsibilities. Robyn joined WSP Opus in 2015, and prior to that has held senior IT and operational roles in a range of sectors including Construction, Telecommunications, Government and large IT vendors.

Her diverse background gives Robyn not only a good understanding of the WSP Opus business, but the ability to draw on relevant external experience to make the boat go faster. Her career has been characterised by a collaborative working style, leading and developing people while maintaining focus on delivering great client outcomes.

 In her spare time, Robyn likes to  ski, read, spend time boating on the Hauraki Gulf, and travel.

Erica joined WSP Opus in October 2018 as Financial Controller, bringing a wealth of experience from her 19 years working in large multinational organisations – such as Coca-Cola Amatil - both in the UK and New Zealand.

She has a strong balance of skills across commercial, financial, people and governance disciplines, and a financial background in strategic capital projects and transformation.

With a passion for capability building and ensuring work environments are both diverse and inclusive, Erica strongly believes that people are at the centre of everything WSP Opus does.
 
In the role of CFO, Erica focuses on partnering with the business to help drive sustainable growth, operational efficiency and strategic alignment, while protecting WSP Opus’ business and commercial strengths.

Peter leads both the New Zealand Water business and has a senior leadership role within the WSP Group that is accountable for the Water business across the 40+ countries that WSP operates in. 

Peter has been with WSP Opus for over 18 years. He is a highly respected leader in our business and a leading practitioner in the design and construction of infrastructure works.

He held the role of General Manager for Downer Construction for NZ and the Pacific before his appointment to Opus in 2001 as Regional Manager Northern. He then succeeded to roles including Managing Director NZ and Global Director for Opus, prior to the acquisition by WSP.

Peter is highly regarded for his business acumen, in-depth knowledge of the water sector and his strong client relationships.

Peter holds a Honours Degree in Civil Engineering and is a Chartered Professional Engineer and a Fellow of Engineering NZ. Peter completed the Stanford University Executive Management Programme in 2004.

Outside of work Peter is a keen golfer and enjoys keeping fit and active, and is a very good DIYer (just ask him about his pool!)

Peter provides leadership for the Transport sector, focused on strategic mobility solutions using our global expertise and innovative methodologies to service changing client and community needs. He is a strong, energetic leader with a strong technical, strategic and client focus.

Peter has built his reputation predominantly in the Transport Sector, delivering major projects such as Waikato Expressway, Southern Corridor Improvement and a series of the DART projects to a diverse range of clients.

Having progressed through the organisation from Team Leader – Bridge Design where he rebuilt our bridge design capability, to sector focused role as Bridging Leader – New Zealand, Peter then moved into business management role as Group Manager – Civil Infrastructure North where he was responsible for revenues in excess of $40m and significant growth.

His entire career has been characterised by challenges of leading and developing people whilst maintaining focusing on delivering to our clients.

When he has spare time he likes a run, coach kids sports such as rugby and touch and spend time in the hills.

Scott is responsible for a team of over 620 engineering, planning, surveying and laboratory staff across WSP Opus’ regional businesses.

With over 20 years project management expertise years on a wide variety of projects relating to roading, water, electrical and structural he is well-placed to provide leadership and direction.

Prior to his appointment, Scott had been North East Area Manager within the Regional Business and Business Manager of Tauranga.

Scott has over 20 years private and government experience, in engineering/commercial and project management. His commercial acumen has been gained through successful track record leading national projects, tendering, procuring for strategic projects and delivering financial outcomes.

His early career involved electrical engineering, followed with experience in commercial auditing, project management and more recently in leadership.

Scott holds a Master of Environmental Management (Honours) Bachelor of Business Studies (Management & Accounting) and a Diploma in Infrastructure (Asset Management) as well as a NZ Certificate in Engineering.

In his spare time Scott enjoys running, mountain biking and the odd game of golf.

David is a creative, collaborative and commercial leader who builds strong teams to consistently deliver results in highly competitive markets.

Passionate about inspiring others to make a difference, helping people realise their potential and building a great NZ for future generations.

David leads the Client Solutions team responsible for Marketing, Internal & External Communications, Client Experience, Bids as well as Research & Innovation.

Prior to joining WSP Opus David held senior positions at BNZ including his most recent role as Head of Marketing.

David holds a BA Hons from Leeds University

David Fowler was appointed to the role of Head of People New Zealand in January 2018 and leads the People function with overall responsibility for the People Strategy and the implementation of programmes and initiatives to support WSP-Opus achieve its strategic objectives. 

 After completing his studies in Political Science at Victoria University David moved to Japan where he spent 17 years with Berlitz International in a variety of roles culminating in David holding the position of Corporate Sales and Regional Director before moving back to New Zealand with his family in 2007. After 5 years consulting to both private and public organisations, David led the Human Capital team at the Water Corporation in Western Australia for 3 years during a period of transformation before once again returning to New Zealand.

 David’s background also includes management and executive coaching, strategy formulation, and business development.

 Originally from Wellington, in his free time David enjoys making the most of the Wellington culture and surroundings with his two children, playing tennis, and the occasional game of football.

Grant brings to WSP Opus broad industry experience as a Health & Safety professional, with a focus on delivering strategic safety leadership, creating and implementing effective health and safety initiatives, managing risk and building capability, and supporting senior management to deliver cultural change within organisations.

 Before joining WSP Opus, Grant held a variety of senior and leadership Safety, Health and Environmental roles predominantly in marine construction and oil & gas organisations across Australia and New Zealand. His most recent role was National Health & Safety Specialist with Les Mills New Zealand, where he implemented a new company Health & Safety Management System, enabling the business to fulfill the requirements of safety standards AS/NZS 4801 and OHSAS 18001. 

Grant is a Chartered Occupational Health & Safety Professional, with a Master’s Degree in Occupational Health & Safety from Curtin University, Australia.

Carole is responsible for providing strategic leadership for the Environment sector, building technical expertise and collaborating in delivery of services across the WSP global network.

WSP Opus’ Environment team works on key projects that make a significant difference to communities, whether that be reducing occupational exposure risks associated with asbestos, or ensuring that important infrastructure projects are built in a way that respects communities, environment and heritage.

With over 20 years’ experience in environmental consulting in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Carole has a well-earned reputation for being strongly committed and versatile, with a multi-disciplinary background involving project management, technical and management roles.She has had a diverse career experience managing teams and leading sector development, as well as being well recognised for her technical competency in contaminated land and environmental management.

In her most recent role as Technical Director – Environment, Carole focused on the rounded development of people within specialist technical areas and with respect to business knowledge and acumen.

Carole’s defining career moments include auditing Air NZ’s environmental performance over a 10-year period and managing Auckland Council’s closed landfill team.

She is passionate about understanding how technology can be used to deliver better results for clients, and believes that being at the forefront of new technologies and approaches is one of WSP Opus’ major strengths.

Rebecca provides strategic leadership for our Power sector, which helps clients meet the rising demand for power, maintain secure and reliable energy supplies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Rebecca is a chartered engineer with 20-years professional experience, 12 of which have been in the power industry in Australia and New Zealand in both consulting and technical project management roles.

During this time Rebecca has had a significant focus on renewable energy development and in strategic asset management for network clients.

She has been with WSP Opus for 7 years, working in the wind and strategic consulting teams in Melbourne, and most recently leading a team of mechanical and electrical engineers and strategic advisors working across the power industry in New Zealand as Group Manager Power. 

Neil provides leadership for the Property & Buildings sector, focusing on delivering innovative solutions to meet the challenges of complex projects.

Prior to joining WSP Opus, Neil enjoyed a highly successful 17-year career with Aurecon, most recently as Regional Director South East Queensland which saw him lead over 600 people.

In this role he was instrumental in significant infrastructure projects such as the $1.4Bn Sunshine Coast University Hospital and the $1.6Bn Toowoomba Second Range Crossing where he was responsible for the governance of all professional services delivered. He also partnered with Lendlease to develop the world’s largest timber building at 25 King Street, Brisbane, which put the WELL rating tool as the centre of the design philosophy.  

Neil has led large-scale business transformation and understands the value of thought-leadership, client engagement and service delivery as key differentiators. 

He brings a deep understanding of the importance of vision and strategy to delivering long-term sustainable value to an organisation, and his leadership philosophy is anchored by a Design Led Thinking approach.