New leader for WA’s peak engineering body
Civil engineer Chris Fitzhardinge has taken-up the presidency of the Western Australian Division of Australia’s peak professional body Engineers Australia.
Since graduating from the University of Western Australia in 1971, Chris has worked across the state on construction and operation of major infrastructure projects as well as promoting regional development.
His responsibilities have ranged from running the Ord River Scheme to transforming the Telecentre Network, a regional communications network, through tripling its size. As CEO of the South West Development Commission he changed the face of Bunbury through securing multi million dollar funding, negotiating the removal of industrial infrastructure and initiating the Bunbury Harbour City Project.
In accepting the role of President, Chris outlined some key focus areas for his term, emphasising greater recognition of the vital role that engineers play in the Western Australian economy.
“We lead in many areas in innovations in mining, developments in defence and productivity in agriculture but we lag in recognition of the role of engineers and the critical role that they play in our internationally exposed economy.
“Over the next twelve months I will strongly support the introduction of state legislation, an Engineers Act, to provide recognition of skills developed by professional engineers and to give the community confidence in the breadth of roles carried out by professional engineers.”
Chris is currently the Director of the South West Group, Member of the Defence Industries Skills Unit Board, Secretary of the South West Corridor Development Foundation and Chair of the South West Corridor Workforce Development Plan Steering Committee.
