Andrew Baird

Founder & Chairman

PrEng, CEng, FICE, FSAICE

Andrew qualified as a civil engineer and has been a member of the London based NEC drafting Panel since its inception in 1993. He is acknowledged in all of the NEC documents for his part in their drafting and has been presenting seminars and training workshops on the NEC system since 1995 in many countries.

He has hands on major project application experience of the NEC system in all sectors of the construction industry and has developed templates for contract development and contract administration of all NEC3 documents.

Andrew has worked as a project engineer and project manager for major contractors, consultants and clients in UK, USA and South Africa including on many of Eskom’s power stations. 

He was Eskom’s Corporate Contract Management Consultant for 9 years before starting ECS in 1997. He was a founding ExCo member of ICE-SA, a joint Division of ICE and SAICE, has published papers in several international journals including the International Construction Law Review and been guest speaker at conferences in many parts of the world.

PETER HIGGINS

Expert Consultant

BSc Eng, Civil Engineering,  Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers

Peter Higgins is one of the founding directors of pdConsult, a UK consultancy organisation providing strategic advice, contract procurement, management and dispute resolution services to the construction industry. He has a background in civil engineering, building and landscape with working experience in the UK, Africa, Europe and in the Middle and Far East.

He initially worked in the design office on a variety of highways and bridge schemes. Subsequently he had several years experience on construction sites. These included work on a major bridge and approach road contract in Cambridge, UK, and a motorway contract in Surrey. He then held appointments as Project Manager and Project Director on a wide range of engineering projects in Nigeria, Oman, Malaysia and UK. Peter has been responsible for the worldwide civil engineering work of a major UK consultancy and now provides a contract advisory service to the construction industry.

Since 1976, Peter has been involved in determining contract strategy, advising on contract preparation and procurement processes and advising on contract administration.  Much of Peter’s current work is advising international funding agencies and major public sector clients on procurement policy and implementation. Often with legal teams, he has worked closely with clients in developing contracts based on the NEC system and developing procurement strategy. He has given lectures in many countries on contract issues and has published papers on contracts and on ethics in construction.

Peter was Chairman of the New Engineering Contract Panel for the Institution of Civil Engineers and now chairs their NEC4 Board. He has been involved in the development and implementation of NEC contracts since the initial preparation of these contract forms, and has provided advice and training to many contract users. Peter was a council member and subsequently was awarded honorary membership of the Society of Construction Law, and has served as a branch chairman of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and as chairman of the ICE Dispute Resolution Panel.

Dr RAJ RAINA

Expert Consultant – Business Strategy

B.Tech Elec Eng, Strategic Management & Emerging Markets; PhD Strategic Management

Dr. Raj Raina is an executive and international faculty with over 25 years of experience in diverse eco-systems and countries with a proven track record in assisting start-ups, small and large organizations in achieving their mandates.  He focuses on effective collaboration and persuasion rooted in continuing conversations with the entrepreneurs and C-Suite executives to create a clear focus on overcoming key challenges to build and scale up new businesses.

Raj brings to organisations the real-world, diverse learnings, successes in identifying and overcoming challenges with the aim of developing a platform for building and scaling new businesses. He has consulted or worked across many complex eco-systems which includes; telecommunications, financial, large research and government organisations, IT/Digital, health, retail, mining, and manufacturing. Raj believes that the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) will have a profound effect on the economy and is creating many new opportunities for committed entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.

As a senior business executive, Raj has successfully addressed operational, people and strategic issues across industry domains spanning startups, small and large corporations.  In his last senior executive role, Raj helped Africa’s largest telecommunications service provider, through an innovative process based business model, enter and rapidly scale operations in Nigeria. As General Manager and Director of projects, he managed the project office for effective prioritization and implementation of programs that included network rollout, billing and ERP systems with an initial investment of USD 1 billion. 

Raj has consistently been voted the best teacher in the last ten years by the graduating MBAs over the 14 years he has been at Gordon Institute of Business (GIBS) of University of Pretoria. At Harvard, he facilitated a case discussion for professors across the world on competitiveness using a case study he wrote on the primary state owned power utility in South Africa (Eskom). It is the variety and diversity of Raj’s experience which makes him one of the best lecturers on the subject of strategy.

Raj has a doctorate in strategic management from IIM Ahmedabad and bachelors in engineering from IIT Delhi.

MAHDI GOODARZI

Associate

Industrial Eng., MBA, PMP, Accredited NEC3 Professional

Mahdi is an Industrial Engineer studied in Middle East, with a Master of Business Administration from University of Cumbria (UK) and has worked in many projects in Middle East and Southern Africa in different industries of Oil and Gas, Power and Energy, Pipelines, Petrochemical and Infrastructure. He is a Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Control specialist, Risk Analyst and Forensic Planning expert with an extensive experience of actively serving construction projects for more than 15 years. 

He started as Planning Engineer in Oil and Gas, and petrochemical projects in south of Iran and moved to management level in planning function after a few years, followed by many projects in Buildings, Roads, Civil and Structural projects. 

He served Sasol Technology in South Africa as a Senior Project Control and Lead Planning Engineer for 7 years and became recognized as Professional Risk specialist and PertMaster expert, and held number of training and workshops for planning department of Sasol technology company. 

He also worked as Consultant Engineer for Power Plant projects in Eskom for 15 months and Then joined a critical project in Sasol again as a Forensic Planning Expert. 

He founded a Project Management Training company in 2016, named Gapsfree, and has developed quite a number of Online and In-Class courses in Project Management, Project Control and Scheduling. 

Elvis Pillay

Associate – Quality & Compliance

Elvis has held various senior roles in Quality Assurance and Control in a successful career spanning over 20 years. The majority of his tenure has been spent supporting large and mega projects in the fast track Oil & Gas, Mining and Power sectors with tier-1 engineering contractors. His key strengths include quality management, project evaluation, process improvement, project life cycle methodologies, supplier management, quality management systems, processes, standards and business management systems. Elvis was instrumental in securing benchmark ISO, Lloyds and other accreditations for leading engineering organisations and contractors.

In addition, Elvis is an acknowledged for his expertise on project welding quality documentation, processes & procedures and handover processes. He has led welding control initiatives on mega projects in both the mining and Oil & Gas sectors over many years, often contributing to low weld failure rates of less than 2%. Key clients served include Sasol, Fluor, KBR, Wood Group, CG Energy, Sappi, Eskom, Vale, Sapref, Engen and PetroSA.

PAUL VESTER

Associate – Capital Projects Commercial

Specialist (Hons) QS, PrQS, PMAQS, IACCM, Green Star AP (New Buildings)

Paul is a registered professional Quantity Surveyor with over 22 years post graduate experience as a quantity surveyor, commercial manager and contracts manager in both engineering and building projects.

Paul has delivered successful projects and programmes in the energy, industrial, transport, leisure, healthcare and commercial building sectors in both Southern Africa and the Middle East.

He has experience in commercial management on such programmes as the Medupi and Kusile power stations for WSP and Black & Veatch, programme and contract management on the Abu Dhabi transport program for Fluor as well as delivering pre- and post-contract cost management services on the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi for AECOM. Paul has also delivered both pre- and post-contract cost and commercial management services on multiple hotels and casinos as a director of Pentad Quantity Surveyors in South Africa.

Paul’s expertise and core skills are undertaking feasibilities and estimates, cost planning and procurement management; carrying out tender adjudications and ensuring contract compliance; managing contracts (FIDIC, NEC, JBCC) including change management, claims mitigation, drafting and management, risk management and mitigation, applying relevant SHEQ and environmental procedures and client liaison and communication at all levels.

Paul holds memberships with The South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession, the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors, and the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management and is a registered accredited professional with the Green Building Council of South Africa.

DAVID EDWARDS

Associate – Expert Risk and Program Management

David Edwards is a PRMP qualified Risk Management Expert who also holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool.  He has evaluated project, program and enterprise risk on a wide range of projects that included mega projects assurance reviews, procurement process, maturity assessments, enterprise optimisation and re-organisation, contract claims assessment as well as M&A integrations.

Previously David was a core member of the poject governance and assurance team at Anglo American, Kumba Iron Ore.  He was the risk management specialist and Acting Project Controls Manager for the Project Support division.  

Prior to joining Kumba Iron Ore, David was the Risk Management Practice Lead, Africa for Hatch, an EPCM company.  

Prior to joining Hatch, David worked in the ICT industry for Cura software.

Dr RON WATERMEYER

Expert Consultant

BSc Eng, Civil Engineering, DEng

Dr Ron Watermeyer is currently a director of Infrastructure Options (Pty) Ltd.

He worked for South African Transport Services as a site engineer and a structural design engineer between 1978 and 1988. He then worked up until 2013 for Soderlund and Schutte, a firm of civil and structural consulting engineers.

He project led the development of the ISO 10845 family of standards for construction procurement and was intimately involved in the drafting of the National Treasury Standard for Infrastructure Procurement and Delivery Management and the procurement and delivery management arrangements for the first phase of government’s two new universities.

In 2009 he was awarded a Doctor of Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand for his contribution over time to the procurement and delivery of infrastructure. He is a visiting adjunct professor at the School of Construction Economics and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, and the Chair of the ISO Subcommitee for Construction Procurement. He was the 2004 president of the South African Institution of Civil Engineers.

PAUL DAVID CHESHIRE

Expert Consultant – Oil and Gas

Paul joins ECS Associates as our in-house leader on Oil and Gas projects for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Paul has led some of the most complex and fast track projects undertaken in the region for Kentz Corporation in recent years. These include FT Wax Expansion Project in Sasolburg (Phase 1 and 2), and Sasol Gas Heated Heat Exchange Reformer Expansion Project in Secunda.  Paul brings a wealth of knowledge in technical, commercial and contractual aspects of Oil and Gas engineering construction throughout the value chain and was involved in an oversight role at Icthys LNG, Darwin.

Paul has led the Oil and Gas business line at Kentz Corporation and thereafter at SNC Lavalin with distinction. He has successfully delivered projects in Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia and he established one of the largest Oil and Gas pipe fabrication facilities in the region to support Sasol expansion and Vale Mozambique process plant expansions.

Paul has also participated in upfront development work associated with the Mozambique gas projects.  His portfolio includes Mozambique LNG.

This offered Paul an opportunity to evaluate LNG gas trains to Qatar, Australia and the US.  We are dlighted to welcome him to our team.

Dr ANTJE BERLIN

Associate – Executive Coaching

BBA (Bus Admin) TU Berlin, Germany,  MA (Journalism) UNC Chapel Hill, USA, PhD (Comms Science) Vienna, Austria

Antje is a certified Professional Integral Coach (PCC) through the Centre for Coaching at the UCT Graduate School of Business. Antje is PCC credentialed by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She offers executive coaching, facilitation and mentor coaching, as well as coach supervision for colleagues, and virtual leadership training via webinars.

Antje is a SACAP educator (South African Council for Applied Psychology). She uses models such as the Enneagram, Transactional Analysis, Leadership Embodiment (Wendy Palmer) and Thinking Environment (Nancy Kline) in her work.

Antje was a profile writer for an Austrian monthly business magazine, before she relocated to Cape Town in 2001. She has a deep understanding of corporate culture and entrepreneurship across various industries.

Antje then consulted several international NGOs in South Africa until she started her own, independent coaching practice.

Since 2011, Antje has been assisting leaders and private persons in customized one-on-one sessions. In addition, she facilitates team coaching and virtual training.

She works locally and internationally – amongst others for the United Nations, Deutsche Bank, Komatsu and Anheuser Busch.

Antje feels privileged to assist her clients on their way to become happier, healthier, more content and more productive human beings. Antje fully embraces the Integral way of coaching, which aims at creating a powerful balance of body, mind and soul.

She helps with issues around performance reviews, skill improvement, breakdowns, over- commitment, Up or Out, Fast Track, new role, communication, work life balance, health, nutrition and life purpose.

Antje works in English and German.

KIM DENNILL

Associate – Project Management and Proposals

BSc (Chemical engineering), PMP, Sasol Executive Development Programme (GIBS)

Dr KELVIN KEMM

Expert Consultant – Energy & Business Strategy    

BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD (Nuclear Physics)

Dr Kelvin Kemm has over 30 years experience dealing with a wide and diverse spectrum of companies and systems. This ranges from technical operations such as cement making, mining, vehicle manufacture, pharmaceuticals, heavy engineering, electronics, through to banking systems, property development, harbour design and general systems design and implementation.

He is an expert in dynamic assessment, analysis of processes, corrective procedure implementation and complex system output improvement.

He is also highly experienced in behavioural assessment and in determining where the human element is impacting what otherwise might appear to be a pure mechanical, electrical or process design fault. Dr Kemm is a nuclear physicist and has applied his analytical and structural abilities in a very wide range of applications and situations.

Dr Kemm is known for bringing his immense theoretical knowledge and capabilities to industry through practical interventions. Successful interventions include underground mining, factory production lines, aviation control systems, experimental vehicle design and construction project implementation. He is highly experienced in developing energy systems within Sub-Saharan Africa. Successful engagements have been undertaken with Governmental agencies, rural communities, tier-1 companies and OEM’s, listed and private companies.

In terms of training and development, Dr Kemm has been a senior lecturer on MBA programs at a number of universities and has been guest speaker at over 20 universities in the United States. He has appeared on radio and TV internationally on numerous occasions, including briefings given to US Senate and Congress in Washington DC. Guest speaker engagements provided to audiences in Paris, London, Moscow, Hanoi and Windhoek.

Dr Kemm has written two books, over 50 TV scripts and has had over 1000 articles published internationally.

HARVEY GALLIARD

Expert Consultant – Insulation, Cladding & Scaffolding

Harvey Galliard is a highly experienced commercial executive with over 40 years-experience in the scaffolding, insulation and industrial painting industries. Harvey’s experience includes pricing hot and cold insulation, scaffolding, industrial corrosion protection, cladding of structures and internal lining of tanks and vessels.  He has provided services to various state-owned enterprises as well as blue chip energy clients. 

Harvey’s skill set includes comprehensive estimate preparation, estimate risk analysis, contract review, on-site verification of productivity outputs, commercial and risk reporting and staff training. Harvey is highly experienced in preparation of interim payment applications, final account preparations and a quantum analysis. In addition, Harvey is an expert in boiler insulation, cladding and scaffolding.

CHRISTIAN DUMAS

Commercial & Contract Specialist

Christian has over 30 years of experience in project controls and contractual/commercial functions working in Tier-1 SMEIP/EPC companies in various market sectors including Oil & Gas, Power, Mining, Water, Buildings and Infrastructure.

He has held senior leadership positions in commercial and contract management with Concor, Kentz Corporation PLC and SNC Lavalin in projects throughout Southern Africa that includes work on some of major projects such as Medupi for Eskom, Project Turbo for Sasol and Madagascar Mineral Sands Development for Rio Tinto.  He has successfully managed mega projects ranging in value from +R6bn to R20m.  

Chris is vastly experienced in contract strategy, project management, preparation, evaluation and resolution of claims in fast track, multi-disciplined complex projects. His experience and expertise are particularly focused on both FIDIC and NEC forms of contract, coupled with a comprehensive working knowledge of many other contractual arrangement options. He has played an integral role in major domestic and international adjudication and arbitration cases. Chris, a French national is fully bilingual (French and English).

JOHAN LOUW

Expert Consultant – Fourth Industrial Revolution

BSc Eng Chem (SU) ; Management of Technology (Honours) from Pretoria University.

Johan is a dynamic business leader and management specialist with extensive experience in the technical, commercial and management processes in business with a unique interest in developing human-machine partnerships that leverage human capital value.

His experience in leading capital projects and many change management processes in technical environments, has equipped him with the necessary skills to manage complex business improvement programs. His experience includes delivery of B2B solutions in sectors such as process engineering, industrial automation and conformity assessment, with solutions delivered
throughout sub-Sahara Africa.

Moreover, his exposure in sales, risk management, investment projects, government and other stakeholder relations as well as effectively facilitating a variety of partnerships (investment and operational) further add to his technical foundation and successful track record in management at executive level.

His expertise includes:
• Automation
• Business Process Engineering & Modelling
• Contract Management
• Digital Transformation (IR4, IIOT, MES/MIS, DCS)
• Organisational Decision Making and Information Flow
• Risk Management
• Planning / Execution Complex Projects
• Project Finance / Investment Projects
• Sales & Operations Management

Johan is currently Executive Director of Aguru Business Solutions specialising in Digital Transformation.

STEVEN GOLDING

Expert Consultant – Project Advisory and Digitalization 

Pr Eng (Mech)

Steven started his career in Iron Ore Mining operations at Thabazimbi, South Africa. While heading perations for the open cast haul truck fleet Steven focused on specialist predictive maintenance methods and tribology research, dramatically reducing operations costs.

He then moved to the UK where he continued working in predictive maintenance, and brake system design for Alstom Train division on the London Underground fleet.

Upon returning to South Africa he started consulting in specialist project controls and data management for large Petrochemical projects. 

Steven was then appointed as Project Manager to execute the “Project Rescue” of the Nchwaning No3 shaft at Black Rock in the Northern Cape for African Rainbow Minerals. Following this he was appointed as Infrastructure Manager of the Sishen Expansion Project, responsible for slimes dams, rail development, power reticulation, control systems and commissioning of the new Iron Ore Facility, for Kumba in the Northern Cape. 

Steven then founded SSG Consulting, a boutique Project Management advisory and execution consultancy, which has been operating for 12 years. The company has grown to 80 employees and a global footprint in MEGA-Projects in Mining, Petrochemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Rail, Energy and Infrastructure. SSG Consulting also provides specialist Project Controls and resourcing, including an extensive capability in Claims Consulting, forensic Planning and Expert Witness services.

During this time he founded and developed the Award Winning KEY360 Management Platform, a cloud based PAAS (Platform as a service) offering. KEY360 is offered globally through its subsidiary “KEY360 Inc” with clients in the US, Canada, Africa and the United Kingdom. 

Steven has recently completed studies at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Boston in the development of Platform Technology, Digitalization and Network effects.