David Graham Leach, BE
David is a professional Engineer, with extensive experience in executing capital works projects. His particular interests are the development and implementation of systems, design tools and methodologies that deliver profitable project outcomes.
Graduating in 1958 with a BE (Electrical) from Auckland University School of Engineering (Ardmore campus), David spent the early part of his career in New Zealand before immigrating to Australia in 1974. He spent several years with consulting engineer Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner making a major contribution to that company’s development into a multi discipline consulting engineer. From 1960 to 1979 David’s engineering design and construction experience was gained in projects in New Zealand, Indonesia the Philippines and Australia. These projects covered a wide range of industries, including cabling systems for telecommunication networks; facilities for manufacturing plants in food, wine and brewing, automobile industries; commercial buildings; hospitals and associated health facilities together with some Government Development Aid Work.
Five years managing Australia wide manufacturing services for maltster Barrett Burston Australia Ltd. was followed by a move to the resources industries. Joining Davy McKee Pacific Pty. Ltd. in 1985 as a Senior Project Engineer, David took part in Oil & Gas, Petroleum Refining, mineral processing and chemical process plant projects. Significant projects at the time included BHP Ltd No5 Blast Furnace at Pt Kembla, Woodside Petroleum Ltd’s Goodwin Oil & Gas Platform, Esso Ltd West Tuna Oil Gas Platform in Bass Strait. During this time he acquired a keen interest in the development and application of computer systems such as 3D CAD, to engineering design procurement and construction.
As Engineering Administration Manager and later, Continuous Improvement Manager, David made significant contribution to improved work procedures, execution strategies and carried out training of project teams. This effort was directed to reducing project development costs and improving the quality of project outcomes.
Invited in 1996 to join Fluor Daniel Pty Ltd’s Process Business Unit as Engineering Manager, David developed and managed the implementation of work practices that made a major contribution to the profit growth of the Unit. Projects completed during that period included Kodak Australia Ltd’s new Ektacolor Plant at Coburg, Esso Australia Ltd’s additional drilling and development of marginal Bass Strait oil & gas fields, BHP/Philips front end engineering for the $2,000M Bayu Undan oil & gas field development in the Timor Sea.
Since establishing his practice, David G Leach Pty Ltd, David has assisted organisations to improve the way they manage their capital projects by improving their project management skills and developing with them new detailed work practices. In particular, he provides an approach that assists organisations to develop relatively simple "roadmaps" to their procedures. He also works with organisations to assist them in partnering with other organisations to whom previously "in-house" work has been outsourced.
David continues to be active in the profession and is currently working with Uhde Shedden (Australia) Pty Ltd, a member company of the German based Uhde group, as their Business Process Manager developing and implementing a new management environment focused on delivering best practice project management. This is a challenging role given that in today’s world, major projects are developed by multiple international offices each with their inherent cultures and language.
David is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia.
