New water leaders set to drive national and global collaboration

As climate resilience, ageing infrastructure, water security and the energy transition present increasingly complex challenges for Australia and New Zealand’s water sector, AECOM has strengthened its leadership team to deliver greater collaboration and technical depth for clients navigating these critical issues.

This evolution reflects AECOM’s ongoing commitment to delivering sustainable outcomes and leveraging its multi-sector expertise to solve Australia and New Zealand’s most pressing water challenges.

Leading the team is Ben McMaster, Managing Director for Water, supported by an integrated team of National Sector Directors, including Colleen Baker (Dams), Federico Groppa (Water Resources), Kirsten Newnham (Water Infrastructure), Michael Puntil (Civil and Ground Engineering + Tunnelling) and Jan Theron (Group Director - Water, New Zealand).

Together, they bring more than 140 years of combined experience and deep technical knowledge across the full water lifecycle, with a unified focus: connecting clients to AECOM’s best national and global capabilities, wherever the challenge.

Aligning leadership with strategic priorities

The appointments come at a pivotal moment for the sector. As Australia and New Zealand face increasing capital expenditure pressures, tightening environmental standards and greater community expectations around resilience, AECOM’s restructured team is positioned to connect local delivery expertise with its broader global network of technical specialists.

“Our vision is about enabling clients to harness the best of AECOM. We’re already tapping into insights from our US-based flood resilience teams, our North American treatment teams, our global dams practice and our UK nature-based solutions team to deliver more sustainable and resilient outcomes,” Ben McMaster, AECOM Managing Director, Water, Australia New Zealand said.

This focus on connected expertise defines AECOM’s approach. The new structure will allow clients to access national specialists in water infrastructure, water resources, civils and ground engineering, tunnelling and dams.

“The move to a national business line-led organisation will ensure that we bring people to our clients with the unique expertise to solve any of their problems. They’ll be supported by local specialists who have the local insight and real-world application,” McMaster said.

“We’ve already seen the benefits of this approach on the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant, where we used our local and global process teams to deliver an upgrade solution which will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We also have over 30 global dams engineers currently delivering engineering services for Somerset, Wivenhoe and North Pine Dams as part of the Dam Improvement Program with Seqwater.”

Delivering resilience through innovation and collaboration

AECOM’s water business will continue helping major utilities respond to growing capital programs, while also addressing climate resilience, flood risk mitigation and decarbonisation.

But the company’s water service offering now extends well beyond municipal systems – its specialists are increasingly supporting water management in defence, mining, and renewable energy, including pumped hydro and large-scale energy transition projects.

This integrated model is designed to help clients navigate a rapidly evolving water landscape, one shaped by climate uncertainty but also rich in opportunity for innovation.

AECOM’s teams are reimagining water as a connector, linking sectors, communities, and natural systems, while defining what sustainable growth means for the business and its people: not expansion for its own sake, but pursuing technically challenging, meaningful work that supports communities.

“As we strengthen our leadership, we’re reaffirming that true growth is about purpose – taking on the complex, sustainability-driven projects that will define the future of our water sector, and our people’s careers,” McMaster said.

Looking ahead

With a renewed leadership team, AECOM’s water business is set to deliver on its promise of combining local knowledge with world-class technical capability.

From flood and drought resilience to infrastructure renewal and energy transition support, the team’s expertise will enable clients to navigate emerging challenges with confidence and collaborate to shape a more sustainable future for water in Australia and New Zealand.

This follows AECOM’s newly announced leadership structure, by which the whole organisation in Australia and New Zealand has transitioned to a business line-led model. The transition will make it easier for clients to access the best, industry-leading expertise, regardless of location.

Meet AECOM's water leaders

Ben McMaster proudly steps into this leadership role to help deliver the water infrastructure needed for generations to come. Starting his career in regional Queensland, he has led major projects that have strengthened the resilience and sustainability of regional and remote communities. His proudest moment was leading the design and delivery of the North Rockhampton Flood Mitigation Scheme, which protected more than 400 homes from inundation during the 2017 floods, a moment that will stay with him on the impact engineering work can have on people’s lives. Now leading AECOM’s 550 strong Australia New Zealand Water team and its newly appointed leaders, Ben looks forward to partnering with clients to tackle the sector’s biggest challenges in climate change, decarbonisation, and urbanisation.

Colleen Baker’s career is filled with moments of pride, from taking leaps of faith jumping on planes to share her dams engineering expertise across the world to working on international development projects where she has seen under resourced communities deliver remarkable outcomes. Her favourite project was the Paradise Dam Alliance, where she worked alongside contractors in a favourite area: concrete dams and large spillways. Recently appointed Deputy Chair of ANCOLD, Colleen is leading efforts to bring the International Committee on Large Dams (ICOLD) conference to Australia in 2029 or 2030, something that has not happened in 40 years.

When Federico Groppa graduated from a public university in Argentina, he never imagined he would one day lead a sector at one of the world’s largest consulting firms. Each of his favourite projects tells part of that journey: the River Avon Flood Study, which brought him to Australia; the Cooroy to Curra Section D Detailed Design, where he went from modeller to discipline lead in just two years; and the Saraji Mine Environmental Evaluation, where supportive clients encourage him and his team to explore innovative approaches. With AECOM’s new structure fostering regional and global collaboration, Federico is excited to expand opportunities in disaster management and nature-based solutions.

For Kirsten Newnham pride comes not from one achievement but from many moments. But a day that stands out is when a Lead Plant Operator told her the facility she’d been lead process designer on was their best operating plant. Her diverse career has taken her from developing strategies for complex challenges like resource recovery and biosolids management, to designing large, complex wastewater and tertiary plants, to treatment systems that serve remote Indigenous communities, to delivering emergency water treatment works after bushfires. Kirsten looks forward to helping clients achieve their bigger picture outcomes by bringing the best of AECOM’s expertise from across the region and world.

Rooted in a career that began in regional Queensland, Michael Puntil takes pride in the large water projects he’s delivered for these communities. Since taking on the leadership of AECOM’s South East Queensland Water team in 2022, he has strengthened capability and driven growth across the region. His proudest project is the Townsville Wastewater Upgrade Program, which at completion, was the largest ever project undertaken by Townsville City Council. From improving amenity by reducing wastewater infrastructure in residential areas to expanding sewerage capacity to support future growth, the program truly demonstrated the significant community and environmental benefits of this work. Michael is now excited to lead the Civil and GET team, contributing to nation building projects in defence, energy transition, and dams.

Jan Theron’s journey in water infrastructure is one of purpose and impact. From his early days as a civil design engineer to leading global programs, Jan has always been driven by a belief that water is life, and delivering it sustainably is a responsibility. He takes pride in building collaborative, outcomes-focused teams grounded in technical excellence. His career spans continents, but the chapter he treasures most is in Saudi Arabia, where he helped shape transformative water programs, achieving financial close on landmark PPP projects and setting new benchmarks for innovation. For Jan, success isn’t just about engineering solutions, it’s about creating resilient systems that serve communities for generations.