Andrew McLeod
Director - NT
DWN

Growing up in Newcastle on the east coast of Australia, Andrew has always been near and around water. This affiliation has remained through his work as a Senior Civil Engineer for WGA in Darwin, where he is mostly involved in water and wastewater infrastructure.

Andrew began his career investigating dam and water catchments along the east coast before moving to the United Kingdom. Based in Brighton for 3 years and then a further 12 months in Edinburgh, Andrew worked on a range of design and construction projects gaining invaluable hands-on experience in planning design, detailed design, construction delivery and renovation, and rehabilitation. The opportunity to work overseas on technically challenging projects allowed Andrew to accelerate his career knowledge and experience.

Shortly after returning to Australia, Andrew decided to travel to Perth to base himself for work. However a short holiday in the Northern Territory and an affinity with Darwin’s lifestyle on the way saw him settle there instead. Andrew comments that the work is the biggest draw card, as he has found great satisfaction in the diversity of projects, working with third party contractors on large-scale operations and flying to remote communities. With a passion for problem solving and an innate ability to think outside the box, Andrew’s role allows him to be working with the heads of companies one day, liaising with all levels of management and the next to be on site, where he is required to think on his feet managing complex stakeholder requirements often in very remote communities.

He has developed water standards and codes for Government agencies including guidelines for indigenous communities incorporating his first hand knowledge and experience in water and wastewater infrastructure. Andrew enjoys being able to share his engineering knowledge and professional experience with graduates, peers and co-workers. In particular he loves challenging the younger graduates, helping them explore their professional capabilities and providing them with opportunities to gain a comprehensive understanding of their chosen field.

Complex in its nature, the water supply upgrade on Milingimbi Island remains a milestone project for Andrew.

This complicated operation required a combined effort by all stakeholders, precision planning, and encompassed challenging logistics such as high and low tides, remote location and delicate environmental considerations. It would seem Andrew has a penchant for challenging projects in remote locations and given the opportunity, he would savour working in under-developed countries such as Timor or Uganda, providing water access to local communities. Closer to home, he would like to be involved in the future design and construction of a major dam, but for now he is happy to continue working with isolated communities in the remote areas of the Northern Territory.

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