Our People

Our People

The demonstrated mastery and leadership of our senior executives, combined with the passion and diligence of our emerging leaders, is what sets SJA apart. Together, our team is best placed to deliver exceptional client outcomes.

Our Leadership

Steve Abbott

Managing Director

With 40 years’ experience in the Building, Construction and Engineering Industries, Steve Abbott has worked through the Construction Industry from Carpenter to senior management positions within some of the largest construction organisations in Australia. During the first 2o years of his career in construction contracting his responsibilities ranged from the delivery of individual major projects to the management of complete business units for major construction organisations. Steve is an accomplished and sought-after construction expert specialising in the areas of time (delay analysis), quantum, quality of product and construction process/project delivery. He has provided expert witness services in relation to Arbitrations (including International Arbitrations), Expert Determinations, Mediations and has authored expert reports and testified in most legal jurisdictions including the Supreme Courts of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Steve has provided expert witness services on some of the largest building, construction and engineering projects across Australia together with major projects internationally including New Zealand, Macau, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the United Kingdom. 

John Tasho

General manager

John has more than 40 years’ experience in the commercial management of construction and engineering projects in Australian and international markets.  As a skilled commercial practitioner, John has a successful record in managing the contractual aspects of major bids, negotiating and securing contracts and in leading the commercial delivery of large projects the infrastructure, engineering and building sectors.  Having both corporate management and project practitioner experience at the highest levels, John applies his commercial management skills to great effect in providing governance and strategic direction to project leadership teams through his appointment to project steering committees and joint venture management boards.  In addition to project procurement and delivery, John is experienced in the management, preparation and settlement of claims and disputes.

Rob Foster

GENERAL MANAGER

Rob has over 30 years’ experience in the building and construction industries with extensive experience as a construction planner specialising in areas such as preparation of contract and construction programs including master plans, reporting and evaluating projects as they are executed, resolving time related claims, construction methodology studies and providing innovative advice on strategies to meet client and project objectives.

Ben Mackey

GENERAL MANAGER

Ben Mackey, General Manager

Ben has over 23 years’ experience in the construction and engineering industries with extensive experience across a range of property sectors including public and private sector projects and programs.  He is an accomplished construction professional having driven projects, at senior level, through all stages of the project lifecycle.  He brings a strong track record in project planning and approvals process and acumen in procurement of consultant teams and works contractors to deliver best project outcomes.  His technical skills are complemented with a strong ethic towards collaborative project environments and optimising project outcomes

Mark Lincoln

STATE MANAGER

Mark has over 30 years’ experience in the building, construction, infrastructure and defence industries, successfully providing commercial management direction and support for a wide range of construction and service-based projects.  Mark’s skills are complemented by his hands-on experience as a site engineer and planner and programmer.  Mark has held management roles for ASX200 firms including a board member and chair role for a joint venture delivering a $600m capital works program across Australia.

Neil Birchall

EXPERT SERVICES PRACTICE LEADER

Neil has over 32 years’ experience in the construction and allied industries working extensively in the field of construction claims including claims for extensions of time, additional payment and reimbursement of loss and /or expense and/or damages. Neil is an accomplished expert witness specialising in quantum matters and delay/disruption claims and has appeared in adjudication, arbitration and litigation (District and Supreme Court) matters. Neil also has considerable experience in contract drafting and procurement system and process design.  He’s been involved in major projects in the following sectors: utilities; residential; commercial; renewables; mining & metals; oil & gas; transport; and infrastructure.

Lee Jones

REGIONAL MANAGER

Lee has over 20 years’ experience in rail, infrastructure, civil and LNG industries successfully providing planning and controls for a wide range of engineering and construction projects. Lee’s grasp of project controls has been developed across the full continuum of a project lifecycle: tender, engineering & design, construction & commissioning representing both contractor and client with roles both office and site based.

Kalvis Jaunalksnis

REGIONAL MANAGER

Kal has over 40 years’ experience in the building and construction industry with considerable experience in providing quantity surveying services and advice over a range of projects.  His experience encompasses the full range of Quantity Surveying services including estimating, cost planning and post contract services on a wide range of project types.

Projects that Kal has been involved in for both government and private sector clients include secondary schools, higher education including TAFE and university facilities, multi-storey residential developments, office developments, aquatic and leisure centres, industrial warehouse projects, civil works and infrastructure, airport terminals and airport facilities.

Graham Hargraves

REGIONAL MANAGER

Graham has 30 years’ experience in the construction and engineering industries with extensive experience as a Commercial/Contracts Manager with Tier 1 International contracting organisations. Graham’s experience has been derived from working as the commercial lead on major building and infrastructure projects across multiple industry sectors and varied jurisdictions including the United Kingdom, Ireland,  North Africa, the Middle East and Australia. These projects have been delivered through wide- ranging procurement models, including lump sum, design and construct, remeasurement, construction management, EPC and BOT schemes, and through joint venture, and bespoke project arrangements. On these projects Graham has been responsible for leading large teams, working collaboratively with contractors, clients and consultants to deliver commercially compliant outcomes. 

Andrew Broom

REGIONAL MANAGER

Andrew has over 22 years’ experience in the building and construction industry in Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Kenya.  Andrew has varied experience in the management and planning of a wide range of projects. Andrew’s has developed his expertise as a planning professional across the Residential. Commercial, Civil Transportation (road and rail) and Energy (solar. coal, petroleum and LNG) sectors and his specialisations include forensic delay analysis, construction methodology development, planning & programming, productivity monitoring and project controls.

Keith Double

REGIONAL MANAGER

Keith is a professionally qualified quantity surveyor with multi-sector experience in the construction industry gained over 14 years in both the Australian and South African markets.

As an experienced practitioner, Keith’s expertise extends across a diverse range of sectors and markets including major civil infrastructure, commercial, health and education. Keith is skilled at managing multiple stakeholders and supporting them through the life-cycle of their projects by diligent, quantum assessment, budget development and management, procurement advise, post contract cost and budget administration.

Keith takes a value effective approach to meeting client requirements and their objectives while working proactively with all members of the delivery team.

As Regional Manager at SJA, Keith leads a team who provide quantity surveying and cost management services to contractors and contract principals.

Tim Stevens

REGIONAL MANAGER

With more than 25 years’ experience in the construction industry in the UK and Australia, Tim has spent most of his career working for main contractors spanning public and private sectors.  Tim’s expertise covers a range of procurement and delivery models for clients including self-delivery, design and construction, traditional construct only lump sum contracts and specialised management contracting contracts.

John Lorriman

REGIONAL MANAGER

With over 25 years of project experience accumulated across a variety of sectors, John is an accomplished development and construction expert whose strengths include leading and managing major projects that have been successfully delivered within a variety of contract delivery models.  John’s pro-active project management involvement on some of SE Queensland’s most complex projects, including commercial office, retail, hotel, casino, convention & exhibition centre, residential and social housing developments, has created a highly skilled development and construction professional with the experience and capability to provide clients with a total project delivery service.

Steve Hulme

REGIONAL MANAGER

Steve has over 30 years’ experience in the building and construction industry in the United Kingdom and Australia, specialising in project planning & programming.  He has played a vital role in the tendering and delivery of numerous projects and across many industry sectors including; health, defence, education, retail, telecommunications, infrastructure, commercial, airport and industrial.