Also calls for 2023 submissions, with entries closing on 6 April 2023

The Australian Institute of Project Management announces the winners of the National Project Management Achievement Awards (PMAAs), recognising project professionals, organisations, and outstanding projects across key project categories including; Construction/Engineering, Government, ICT/Telecommunications, Transformation, Small, Regional, Sustainable, Professional Services, and Project Management Office (PMO), as well as the individual awards for Senior Project Professional, Project Professional, and Future Project Leader. Receiving their awards at the PMAA Dinner on Friday 24 March, the winners were honoured with one of Australia’s premier project management awards for their outstanding achievements in program and project management for 2022.

Simon Kaleski, Acting CEO of Australian Institute of Project Management, says,

“By entering the PMAAs, Australian organisations are benchmarking their outstanding achievements and innovations against their peers. The calibre of entries was high for 2022, particularly considering turbulent challenges facing the profession in recent years. We are honoured to award the winners for their outstanding management and project successes and for their commitment to achieving excellence.”

Each year, project teams and individuals across Australia submit their entries, which are then assessed by a judging panel of experts. Winners of each category are awarded in two levels: chapter (state-based) and national. The chapter winners were announced at the end of 2022, and these winners became finalists for the national awards. The 2022 PMAA national award winners are:

Project of the Year Category Winner:
– Adelaide Festival Plaza Redevelopment, Mott MacDonald

Senior Project Professionals Category Winners:
– Jason May, Australia Post
– Ben Webb, City of Canterbury Bankstown

Project Professional Category Winner:
– Carlene Frank, Aurecon

Future Project Leader (Under 35 Years) Category Winner:
– Cameron Denecker, Aurecon

Construction/Engineering Projects Category Winner:
– Adelaide Festival Plaza Redevelopment, Mott MacDonald

Government Projects Category Winner:
– Future Drought Fund Regional Drought Resilience Planning in Queensland, The Yellow Company, the Rural Economies Centre of Excellence and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

ICT/Telecommunications Category Winner:
– Telstra Data Network Uplift for NSW Department of Education, Telstra Purple and NSW Department of Education

Transformation Projects Category Winner:
– Joint Defence-Aurecon Ascend Program, Aurecon

Small Projects Category Winner:
– RAAF Darwin – Banksian House Refurbishment, Aurecon

Regional Projects Category Winner:
– Grampians Peaks Trail, Parks Victoria and Ontoit

Sustainable Projects Category Winner:
– Circular Plastics Australia (PET) Recycling Facility, Albury-Wodonga NSW, Pact Group

Professional Services Projects Category Winner:
– RAAF Base Tindal Redevelopment and USFPI Airfield Works Infrastructure Projects, RPS AAP Consulting Pty Ltd

Project Management Office (PMO) Category Winner:
– Integrated Programme Office, Services Australia

The AIPM is calling for project professionals and organisations who can share their project success. Submissions close for the 2023 PMAAs on 6 April 2023 (5pm AEST). Chapter presentation events and winners will be announced in August 2023 with the national PMAA presentation and winners announced on 30 October 2023 at the AIPM Conference at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. For more than 20 years, the PMAAs has been the premier project management awards in Australia, recognising project professionals, organisations, and outstanding projects across industries. With over 10 award categories, the PMAAs offers numerous opportunities for project professionals to be recognised for their successes.

Australian Institute of Project Management National Project Management Achievement Award Winners

Project of the Year Category Winner:
Adelaide Festival Plaza Redevelopment, Mott MacDonald
The Adelaide Festival Plaza Redevelopment was a large and complex program of works delivered across multiple private and public sector agencies. As an integral part of the Government’s vibrant city agenda, it was essential that all elements of the project were reflective of the opportunity to create an exemplar public space while staying sensitive to existing culture and heritage of the place. The key objective of the redevelopment was to transform the area between the Adelaide Festival Centre, Parliament House, Adelaide Railway Station and the River Torrens Footbridge, into a world-class destination at the heart of Adelaide’s Riverbank Precinct.

Senior Project Professionals Category Winners:
Jason May, Australia Post
Jason May is the consummate project and program manager, having been delivering Enterprise change for companies such as Sensis, Miele and Australia Post since 1992. Since Jason commenced in the Australia Post International Services PMO (ISPMO), he has delivered 23 major initiatives, exceeding $23m in funding ensuring Australia Post meets its regulatory sending requirements, in addition to generating $24m revenue and $1.8m cost savings. Jason’s approach to stakeholder engagement and influencing has made him a popular, but highly effective, member of the company and it is safe to say that he regularly performs the work of three to four people.

Ben Webb, City of Canterbury Bankstown
Ben is a driven project professional who enjoys developing and leading high performing project teams to deliver successful outcomes on complex programs across project management sectors. He has been doing this for over 20 years, working with both private and public sector clients, and both principal and contractor teams on projects in a range of sectors, including social, tourism, transport and education, including key roles on many award winning projects, including ICC Sydney, Sydney Zoo, Northern Beaches B-Line Program, BridgeClimb, and the redevelopment of Circular Quay. In 2020, Ben began his role at the City of Canterbury Bankstown, leading its Works & Projects unit.

Project Professional Category Winner:
Carlene Frank, Aurecon
Carlene is a Certified Practising Project Manager (CPPM) with exemplary skills in project management, team leadership and client engagement. Prior to moving into the project management field in 2016, she worked as an Electrical Engineer. Carlene volunteered with a non-profit organisation in South Africa to deliver new projects; building project management capacity for local staff inspired her career change. Today, Carlene is developing and delivering diverse projects to improve the Department of Defence’s capabilities in Victoria and Tasmania as Aurecon’s Project Delivery Services Portfolio Lead in the regions.

Future Project Leader (under 35 years) Category Winner:
Cameron Denecker, Aurecon
Cameron is a Certified Practising Project Manager (CPPM) with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil, Honors Class 1). With a client-focused, commercially orientated approach, Cameron has successfully delivered complex programs of multi-disciplinary projects across NSW while managing and growing a team. Specialising in program management, Cameron not only excels in managing all aspects of program design, procurement, and construction delivery but distinguishes himself from other young project managers by nurturing his team through engagement. He has managed a $70m (p/annum) construction program for the Department of Defence for two years and now oversees a significant design program for ConnectSydney.

Construction/Engineering Projects Category Winner:
Adelaide Festival Plaza Redevelopment, Mott MacDonald
The Adelaide Festival Plaza Redevelopment was a large and complex program of works delivered across multiple private and public sector agencies. As an integral part of the Government’s vibrant city agenda, it was essential that all elements of the project were reflective of the opportunity to create an exemplar public space while staying sensitive to existing culture and heritage of the place. The key objective of the redevelopment was to transform the area between the Adelaide Festival Centre, Parliament House, Adelaide Railway Station and the River Torrens Footbridge, into a world-class destination at the heart of Adelaide’s Riverbank Precinct.

Government Projects Category Winner:
Future Drought Fund Regional Drought Resilience Planning in Queensland, The Yellow Company, the Rural Economies Centre of Excellence and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
The key objective of the RDRP program was to develop and publish drought resilience plans across all Queensland agricultural regions. Based on evidence and collaboration, the identified actions aim to guide an implementation process to build the region’s resilience to future drought. The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) partnered with the Rural Economies Centre of Excellence (RECoE) and The Yellow Company (Yellow) to deliver drought resilience planning in five pilot regions as part of the program’s foundational year. The program is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Queensland Government.

ICT/Telecommunications Category Winner:
Telstra Data Network Uplift for NSW Department of Education, Telstra Purple and NSW Department of Education
The New South Wales Department of Education (NSW DoE) engaged Telstra to implement Telstra Internet Direct (TID) service and Wide Area Network (WAN/GWIP) services to 2317 public and primary schools, administration buildings and localised Engagement Centres. The objective of this project was to provide increased bandwidth of 5 Megabytes (MB) per student with reliably faster internet services for students across NSW. The program is supporting NSW DOE strategy of bridging the education divide to support all NSW DOE schools and staff. The vastly improved network performances rollout was successfully delivered on time, in scope and within budget despite significant challenges.

Transformation Projects Category Winner:
Joint Defence-Aurecon Ascend Program, Aurecon
The joint Defence-Aurecon Ascend Program aims to support an increase in gender diversity at executive levels in the Australian Government Department of Defence. Aurecon joined forces with Defence to create a game-changing leadership and development program: Defence-Aurecon Ascend. This transformational program influences organisational and culture change within Defence by breaking down process and behavioural barriers within a historically ‘hierarchical’ organisation. Ascend is now a significant part of the Defence gender equality strategy, and is having a sustained positive impact, driving greater gender diversity in senior leadership, catalysing innovation at a broader scale, and creating a legacy with an enduring impact into the future.

Small Projects Category Winner:
RAAF Darwin – Banksian House Refurbishment, Aurecon
Banksian House Refurbishment: RAAF Darwin is located on 1,278 hectares, approximately 4.5km northeast of the Darwin central business district. RAAF Darwin is steeped in World War II history. In 1942, Japanese forces mounted two air raids on Darwin, the second of which was a high altitude attack on the base. The commanding officer’s residence, Banksian House, survived the raids. The residence is heritage-listed and part of an historic precinct. The project’s aim was to restore Banksian House to its former glory and update and improve the facilities so that it could serve as a venue for meetings and events and accommodate VIP guests.

Regional Projects Category Winner:
Grampians Peaks Trail, Parks Victoria and Ontoit
The Grampians Peaks Trail project is a world-class natural and cultural walking experience showcasing the stunning Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park. The complex undertaking involved constructing the walking trail over 160km and building 11 new hike-in campsites in remote and rugged mountainous terrain. Opened in November 2021, the project was delivered with extensive stakeholder consultation and through working closely with the Traditional Owners. As a result, the trail will bring visitors closer to the rich Aboriginal culture of the region. The $33m project will generate significant economic benefit for the region and strengthen the social wellbeing of the local community.

Sustainable Projects Category Winner:
Circular Plastics Australia (PET) Recycling Facility, Albury-Wodonga NSW, Pact Group
The Circular Plastics Australia (PET) facility in Albury-Wodonga commenced operations in February 2022, producing high-quality recycled PET resin from plastic bottles collected through container deposit schemes and household recycling bins. This resin is used to manufacture 100% recycled PET beverage bottles and food packaging. The plant, which was constructed on time and below budget, will divert thousands of tonnes of plastic waste from landfill and means recycled packaging is being manufactured in Australia without the need to import virgin resin. The project is a joint venture partnership between Pact Group, Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd, Asahi Beverages, and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.NSW: Circular Plastics Australia (PET) Recycling Facility, Albury-Wodonga NSW, Pact Group

Professional Services Projects Category Winner:
RAAF Base Tindal Redevelopment and USFPI Airfield Works Infrastructure Projects, RPS AAP Consulting Pty Ltd
Airfield Works Infrastructure Projects: The $1.18bn project comprises the development and delivery of base services and airfield infrastructure at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Tindal to support current and future Air Force capability and provide enhanced working environments for operations, training, and exercises. The planning phase delivered a design solution for two key components to be delivered as a single cost effective program to minimise Air Force operational disruptions, including a detailed business case to obtain Defence and government approvals, and a Public Works Committee hearing and approval securing the funding for the delivery phase and managing contractor procurement.

Project Management Office (PMO) Category Winner:
Integrated Programme Office, Services Australia
The Integrated Programme Office (IPO) provided programme management planning, delivery and governance for the highly successful Welfare Payment Infrastructure Transformation (WPIT)
Programme. Operating across four tranches over seven years, with a total investment of approximately $1.5bn, the IPO led the delivery planning and mobilisation, and ongoing programme management, governance and reporting of an extensive portfolio of projects and workstreams. The IPO embedded a strong discipline in governance and accountability during a time of significant evolution and maturing around agile delivery frameworks. It leaves a legacy of highly skilled public servants that are exemplars in transformation programme management.

 

Notes to Editor:

Further information on the national Project Management Achievement Awards below:

 

For further media information or interviews with AIPM, please contact Feature Communications: 

Lisa Poisel, lisa@featurecommunications.com.au | 0412 151 664

Kasey Simpson, kasey@featurecommunications.com.au | 0401 931 577