New Directions & Updates in Post Tensioning

Presenters

Lee Brankley, CEO, CARES
Lee has enjoyed a long and successful career in the steel industry, joining the Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels (CARES) more than 25 years ago and rising to become General Manager before his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in 2015. Since then, he has transformed CARES operational capability; built strong relationships among stakeholders and delivered transformational sector-leading digital and sustainability strategies for the steel industry. Lee has led projects in the design, development and implementation of digital solutions to improve the process of delivering and managing steel supply chains with a focus on digitalisation. Under his leadership CARES has launched post tensioning schemes in Australia and Singapore.

Michael van Koeverden, Director, CQT Services
Michael is Principal and Director of CQT Services Pty Ltd, specialising in concrete and quarry materials technology. He is a Civil Engineer and Engineers Australia (EA) Chartered Fellow and is a Past National President of the Concrete Institute of Australia and CIA National Councillor since 2012.

Michael represents EA on two National Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) Groups; the Waterproofing Technical reference Group and External Building Envelopes Technical reference group. He is also an EA representative member on the Water Shedding Community of Practice for the NSW Building Commission and chair of the associated sub-committee on Self-Draining Floor Surfaces.

Peter Tonkin, Post Tensioning and Lead Auditor, CARES
Peter joined CARES in April 2021 with extensive management experience in the construction industry of over 40 years and has served at all levels of management in companies both here in Australia and overseas. Peter will be ensuring that the Post Tensioning Industry in Australasian region complies with all construction industry standards in the overall application of Post Tensioning operations, design, and material supply into the Post Tensioning industry to meet Construction Clients, Developers and Main Contractors expectations of Quality, Environment and Safety within the sector.

Tim Peters, Group Managing Director, Edge Consulting Engineers
Tim Peters is Chairman and Founding Partner of EDGE Consulting Engineers – a multi-disciplinary Engineering Practice with offices in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and United Kingdom. Tim is a Civil Engineer with his career spent predominately in building structures. He is a specialist in post-tensioning design in buildings, having worked for several large specialist contractors. He has spent his career predominantly based in Australia, however, has been involved in engineering works associated with a number of projects of international renown including Tsing Ma Bridge in Hong Kong, The Shard in London, and Atlantis Hotel in Dubai.

Tim is actively involved with the School of Engineering and Built Environment at Griffith University and is a Foundation Member of the Industry Advisory Board for the School where he chairs the Civil Committee. Tim is also a Director of Post Tensioning Institute of Australia and committee member of the Gold Coast Branch of the Concrete Institute of Australia.

Nick Codd, Managing Director, Austbrokers Professional Services
Nick Codd has over 30 years’ experience in delivering insurance solutions to a variety of local and international clients on all aspects of financial lines including professional indemnity, management liability, cyber and technology insurance. Nick became a principal of his own company, Austbrokers Professional Services Pty Ltd on 1 September 2007, with the aim of providing retail insurance brokers with high quality advice and service on financial lines placements including professional indemnity, management liability and now cyber and technology insurance through related companies, Austbrokers Cyber Pro Pty Ltd and Austbrokers Info Tech Pty Ltd.

Jason Li, Principle Technical Advisor, Practitioner Compliance, Building Commission NSW
Jason is a Principal Technical Advisor at the Department of Customer Service (DCS) attached to the Building Commission NSW. He is a chartered engineer with 10 years’ experience in the construction industry. Jason’s experience includes both new build development and rectification of existing buildings. Prior to joining Fair Trading/Building Commission he worked as a remedial engineer specialising in structural rectification, waterproofing design and client-side project management.

Jason started his career as a post-tensioned design engineer working for a D&C contractor with a focus in residential buildings. He transitioned to remedial engineering with a focus in the designing and diagnosing external waterproofing and facades. He started working within the Class 2 audit team with Fair Trading in 2022 as a technical expert on matters relating to structural, waterproofing and building enclosure defects.

Neda Mirzadeh, Senior Compliance Officer, DBP Audit, Building Commission NSW
Neda is a senior compliance officer of the design and building practitioner audit team at the Department of Customer Service (DCS) attached to the Building Commission NSW. She previously worked as an authorised officer under the Residential Apartment Buildings (Compliance and Enforcement Powers) Act 2020 in the Occupation Certificate (OC) Audit Team at the DCS since January 2021. She is a chartered professional structural engineer (CPEng) with Engineers Australia and a registered professional engineer under the DBP registration scheme. She has worked as a structural engineer from 2003 to 2020 in private industry prior to joining the DCS in January 2021 as a Senior Compliance Officer. She has experience in the structural design of industrial and residential projects, including class 1, 2 and 3 buildings. She holds a Master of Structural Engineering, a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, and a Certificate IV in Government Investigations.

Neda has a commitment to industry reform, so she has been engaged in some proactive plans, such as internal and external presentations, including “the OC audit team defect findings” in Engineers Australia. She looks forward to seeing a significant change, in terms of compliant building work, in industry.

Hamid Yekta, Project Engineer, Engineering Bridges & Structures (Policy & Specifications),Transport for NSW
Hamid Yekta is a distinguished chartered structural engineer, boasting over two decades of unparalleled expertise in the intricate realms of bridge and building design. With an illustrious portfolio encompassing the design of over 30 bridges, spanning various materials such as steel, reinforced, and post-tensioned concrete, alongside numerous buildings, his contributions stand as testaments to his mastery in the field.

Within his tenure at TfNSW, Hamid serves as a pivotal figure in the role of project engineer, spearheading the meticulous technical assurance processes surrounding the bridge components and systems. His responsibilities as a product lead in Policy & Specification Team extend to overseeing critical elements including bearings, expansion joints, ground anchors, and post-tensioning systems, ensuring uncompromising standards of quality and performance.

Moreover, Hamid plays a pivotal role in upholding TfNSW's commitment to excellence by diligently managing the implementation and adherence to pertinent quality assurance specifications, notably including TS 01736 Post-tensioning of Concrete. His dedication and expertise continue to elevate the product conformity and conformity assessment within TfNSW and the broader industry landscape.

Ladin Camici, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer, CARES

Andrew Wheeler, Executive Director, ACRS