People Moves June 4, 2018

Aurecon has appointed Doug Tapper technical director, energy. Mr  Tapper was previously general manager, regions at Verdia. He has also held management roles with Energy Developments, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and LinkWater Projects. Aurecon says that Mr  Tapper’s past experience has been in projects involving gas and diesel-fired generation, cogeneration, islanded power generation, conventional thermal plant and, more recently, in renewable technologies.

AVPartners has appointed Matt Taylor partner handling the company’s new Westin Perth contract. Mr Taylor previously held the same role at Crown Perth. An audiovisual technician since 1999, he joined AVPartners in 2009.

The Australian Cyber Security Research Centre has appointed Rachael Falk chief executive. CSRC has been established as a cooperative research centre involving universities and partner institutions across the country, but its head office will be located in Western Australia. Ms Falk is a former general manager, cyber influence at Telstra, and most recently worked as a cyber security consultant. She spent ten years as an inhouse lawyer with Telstra, following time with Blake Dawson and Clayton Utz in Sydney, and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London. Ms Falk replaces the interim chief executive Darrell Williamson.

Water Corporation has recruited Pat Donovan as general manager, operations. Mr  Donovan has been president with ATCO Australia since 2015, having joined the company as chief operating officer when it acquired his former employer WA Gas Networks in 2011. At the time, he had been with WAGN and parent company Westnet Energy since 2003. Mr  Donovan assumes his Water Corp role in August this year.

The University of Western Australia has appointed Fraser Bransby Fugro chair in geotechnics. Mr  Bransby was previously a senior principal engineer with Fugro. Prior to joining Fugro in 2010, he served 11 years as a senior lecturer at the University of Dundee.

QT Hotels and Resorts has appointed Jason Cooley general manager of its upcoming Perth hotel, due to open in August this year. Mr Cooley joined QT as general manager, QT Canberra in April last year. He was previously group general manager, hotel division for Elanor Investors Group. Mr Cooley’s experience includes two years as general manager of Thredbo Alpine Hotel and five years as general manager of Adaaran Resorts in the Maldives.

Curtin University has appointed Paul Herz an adjunct professor of the faculty of business and law. Mr  Herz is currently director, manufacturing operations and quality at Facebook, following four years managing product operation at Apple. He will also join the university’s MBA and executive education advisory panel.

Curtin has renewed the contract of vice chancellor Deborah Terry for another five year term. Ms Terry joined Curtin in 2014, after 24 years with the University of Queensland.

Perth Energy chief executive Giles Redmile has been named deputy chair of the Western Australian Independent Power Association. He replaces former Kleenheat manager, electricity Simon Middleton, who has left both his WAIPA and Kleenheat roles. Mr  Redmile took the top job at Perth Energy in February this year, after short stints as the company’s chief development officer and chief financial officer. He left Calibre Global as chief financial officer in 2016, and is a former financial controller at Wesfarmers Energy.

The state government has appointed Trevor Darge a magistrate. Mr  Darge was previously a partner at insurance law firm SRB Legal, which he joined in 2007. He entered practice in 1990, and is a former managing partner of Corser & Corser.