New Director Infrastructure Services appointed at QPRC
Published on 20 May 2024
Phil Hansen, the current Director Infrastructure Services has been with Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council for 17 years, and will be retiring in early July, ending a 40-year career in local government. Phil has had oversight over many large infrastructure projects and led Council and the organisation through our recovery efforts in the 2019-20 bushfires and then three major flooding and storm events.
The General Manager Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, Rebecca Ryan has announced today that after a very competitive recruitment process undertaken by Leading Roles, Council has appointed a new Director Infrastructure Services, Michael (Mike) Duff
Mike has had a diverse, 25-year engineering, project management and executive leadership career in the private and public sectors in both Australia and New Zealand.
He has extensive leadership experience in local government, including Newcastle City Council, where he was focused on project delivery and contracts. Mike has also lead successful asset management and capital delivery programs for clients including Hunter Water, Maitland City Council, Cessnock City Council and Transport for NSW across a wide range of civil infrastructure projects, asset renewal and maintenance plans and business improvement initiatives
Currently, Mike serves as the Group Manager Infrastructure Services with Buller District Council, in New Zealand, overseeing infrastructure delivery, asset planning, and major capital works under key portfolios including land transport, three waters, solid waste management and property.
He has significant experience in project delivery, having worked for 10 years at Hatch Ltd, a global Engineering, Procurement & Construction Management (EPCM) consultancy as senior project manager and project controls specialist on large infrastructure developments around the world.
Most recently he completed a 12-month secondment with the NZ Government Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) as Director Strategy, National Transition Unit supporting the proposed Three Waters Reform program.
He is a qualified engineer with Honours from the University of Newcastle and held Engineers Australia membership and CPEng (Chartered Professional Engineer) credentials before moving to New Zealand under IPWEA (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia). He has completed an MBA from the Queensland University of Technology as well as formal Project Management qualifications.
Mike will be moving here with his family and commencing in the role on 22 July 2024.