At our final School of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CVEN) Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) meeting for 2023, it was sad to farewell IAC Chair Ian McIntyre.
Ian, an alumnus of the School, has been part of the IAC since its inception in 2006, becoming Chair in 2010. He has been a fantastic friend, supporter and advisor to several Heads of School as well as staff and students. We have been grateful for his wise counsel, industry savvy, occasional tough questions, and complete dedication to the progression of the School, its staff, and students.
Head of School PSM Professor Nasser Khalili also warmly welcomed Athena Venios as our new IAC Chair. Athena, also a proud alumnus of the School, and the winner of the 2016 Judy Raper Award for leadership in Engineering, has served on the Board since 2014. She is a proud promoter and enabler of diversity and inclusivity at work – making engineering and construction a great place for everyone to work and succeed!
Ian McIntyre - major contributor to our School and community
During his time on the IAC, Ian led several outreach initiatives such as the School’s Primary School Maths Prize - part of a broader campaign to raise awareness of the importance of mathematics; the Year 10 work experience week offered annually by the School to students around the state; and addressing the gender disparity in School enrolments.
For decades, Ian was Principal and Global Service Leader, Contracting Strategy, Expert Witness and Dispute Resolution for global consultancy Advisian (previously Evans & Peck). He is graded as an Arbitrator and is an experienced expert witness, presenter and facilitator, and has been active in several Dispute Boards on major projects. He is President of Region 3 (Australasia) of the international Dispute Resolution Board Foundation and a member of the International Board of that organisation.
Ian so generously brought all these skills and industry knowledge to his role with the School. He has been a crucial partner in our curriculum reviews, our EA accreditation processes, and has acted as facilitator in several industry and teaching forums. Through all his work with School staff and its leadership, Ian never lost sight of the students and the important mission of the School - to prepare them well for the many challenges and delights of their chosen career.
Athena Venios – leadership in action
We warmly welcome Athena Venios as our new IAC Chair.
A Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Athena is the Managing Director of Keller Australia, a leading ground engineering contractor. She is a civil engineer with over 25 years of experience in developing, designing and delivering numerous complex infrastructure projects, including motorways, railways and multi-modal infrastructure.
Driven by her vision for a better world, and immensely proud of her profession, Athena’s career has spanned both government and the private sector. She has been the Technical Director of Transport for AECOM, the Director of the Greater Sydney Project Office for Transport for NSW, and Executive Director of Infrastructure NSW. The breadth of Athena’s experience is impressive, spanning projects in road, bridge construction and maintenance, rail, water, aviation and transport planning and community support facilities, and include major projects such as the Athens and Sydney Olympics.
Athena has led teams of up to 350 over several states, is a strong communicator both written and verbally and brings financial, commercial and people management skills to any team. Colleagues affirm that Athena nurtures, inspires and challenges her teams to do their best work and to keep learning and growing. We look forward to Athena’s leadership of the IAC, including her occasional tough questions!