Event Details

The Infrastructure Collective Auckland welcomes all TIC members to attend Pipeline Ambitions - The TIC Building Nations Event on Monday 26 August from 5:30pm.

In the leadup to Infrastructure New Zealand's Building Nations, TIC is hosting a Hackathon to see how the sector's future leaders would develop a pipeline of infrastructure projects for New Zealand.

This is the event of the year for TIC members! Share your ideas, showcase your skills, and join the conversation for 2024's Building Nations. Our panel of talented judges includes Geoff Cooper (Chief Executive (acting), New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga), Karen Mitchell (Principal - Deal Advisory, KPMG), Joseph Donohue (Engineering Team Leader, Arup) and David Newport (Senior Associate, Dentons). Our judges will share their knowledge and expertise to help guide your solutions.

A huge thank you to Dentons for being this years sponsor of the TIC Hackathon. 

Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out—register now to secure your spot!

Presenter Details

Geoff Cooper - Chief Executive (acting) at New Zealand Infrastructure Commission Te Waihanga

Geoff Cooper is the Acting Chief Executive at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. He has a background in global policy having worked for the United Nations, the European Bank, and the United States Federal Reserve. He is a former Chief Economist for both PwC and Auckland Council.

At Te Waihanga, Geoff has been responsible for the New Zealand Infrastructure Strategy, the National Infrastructure Pipeline and more recently has led work on the National Infrastructure Plan. He holds a Master of Economics with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland and a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University.

Karen Mitchell - Principal, Deal Advisory at KPMG New Zealand

Karen has successfully held senior and executive-level positions within the public and private sectors and is a well-respected leader in complex, high profile infrastructure procurement and commercial negotiations. She has in-depth knowledge of government and infrastructure sectors - including in health, corrections, social housing, and transport – and has directly advised Ministers on infrastructure investment planning and delivery including the use of alternative financing.

Karen recently acted in the role of Deputy Director-General Infrastructure for the Ministry of Health where she was responsible for the prioritisation and delivery of over $5 billion of hospital projects. Prior to this, she led the Infrastructure Transactions Unit at NZ Treasury as it transitioned to Te Waihanga. Her involvement in major infrastructure projects includes prison and state highway PPPs, City Rail Link assurance, Let’s Get Wellington Moving programme integration, Auckland Light Rail policy, and social housing transfer transactions. She has advised on improvements to the NZ PPP model and on major projects governance. She was a member of the inaugural Construction Sector Accord Steering Group and led the Procurement and Risk Workstream.

Joseph Donohue - Engineering Team Leader and NZ Leadership Team at Arup

Joseph is Arup New Zealand’s Engineering Team Leader and a Project Technical Leader with 24 years of experience since joining Arup as a graduate. During his career he has worked in numerous locations including Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, London, UK Midlands and Singapore. He is currently based in Auckland.

He is accountable for the technical delivery of projects and has successfully led the technical delivery of complex and major projects throughout Australasia. His experience includes having lead roles on major infrastructure projects including Brisbane’s Cross River Rail, Brisbane Airport Link Tunnel, Auckland Light Rail, Singapore Thompson Line and Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line. Joseph is sought by clients, who highly value the integrated solutions he is able to derive from his technical skill-set and his engaged approach to understand their issues and drivers. He is actively involved in the engineering profession, as demonstrated by presenting at various technical societies and conferences including; rail, geotechnical, concrete and tunnelling.

Joseph is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers and the Institution of Engineers Australia. He is on the Technical Products Panel for the Institution of Structural Engineers. This role includes advising on new and updated technical publications. He was a reviewer for the updated Eurocode 1 Manual and is currently a reviewer for upcoming technical publications.

David Newport - Senior Associate at Dentons

David is a member of Dentons’ Major Projects and Construction team. He has significant dispute resolution experience with a focus on construction-related matters. His recent experience includes an arbitration hearing brought against a Principal under NZS3910 comprising general damages and extensions of time and time related cost, adjudication proceedings (several) against Principals under NZS3910 for defective design, acting for a defendant multi-disciplinary engineer in a High Court negligence claim, and advising construction industry participants on insurance claims.

Prior to joining Dentons, David worked at a leading insurance litigation firm where he defended liability claims against construction principals, sub-contractors, manufacturers and product suppliers, developers, and a variety of engineers and other construction professionals. David has also been involved in some of New Zealand’s largest ‘leaky building’ claims (including in respect of weathertightness, fire defects and structural issues). David also spent several years in Melbourne working for a global firm in respect of a large-scale class actions.

David is adept at resolving claims by way of informal negotiated settlement and has been involved in numerous successful mediations. He understands the importance of clear communication, and of obtaining a thorough understanding of the facts and the issues in dispute at an early stage to see matters resolved quicker and on the best available terms.

David is also experienced in advising on liability insurance matters and dealing with insurers and brokers on a broad variety of contentious indemnity issues. He also has experience in advising on recovery claims.