2012 Conference Speakers

Sir Kenneth Stevens is Chairman of Glidepath, the company he started 37 years ago and which he continues to own. Glidepath is an engineering company specialising in computerised airport baggage handling, baggage security, cargo handling and parcel sorting systems.

Glidepath exports up to 1,000 fully packed containers a year to overseas customers, and is an outstandingly successful medium-size engineered products exporter, employing hundreds of staff. The bulk of materials used are generated or made within New Zealand, such as the flat steel plate.

Sir Kenneth himself has been absolutely central to the growth of the company – he is renowned for getting personally involved in resolving engineering design issues, using the knowledge and experience he has built up through his working life. He continues to play a key role in a range of organisations and activities to promote New Zealand business and international co-operation, including as a Board Member of the Asia-New Zealand Foundation, as Chairman of Export New Zealand and on the board of The Icehouse, which runs business growthprogrammes for New Zealand small to medium enterprises.

In 2008, Sir Kenneth was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to exporting in the New Year’s Honours.

Richard has had a long and distinguished career in the construction sector, particularly working with clients and developers. His employment has included Balfour Kilpatrick Industries, British Rail, British Transport Hotels, Ladbroke Entertainments, McDonald’s Restaurants UK Ltd (1980-2002) and McDonald’s Europe Ltd (2002-2003). McDonald’s Restaurants UK Ltd pioneered the use of modular construction techniques for their edge of town retail outlets. Richard started with McDonald’s as project manager on Restaurant 50 progressing to senior PM and establishing the first Regional Office in Birmingham.

He became Construction Manager for National Development Program and Co-Chair of UK Development Strategy. Ultimately he became Vice-President/ Construction Director responsible for Construction Project Management, Architecture, Design and Equipment. Richard was Chairman of European Construction Team and Member of European Development Board as well as Director of Advanced Building Systems (USA). He was recognised with the International Award of Excellence in 1990 and the Poucher Award in 1994. Richard spent a lot of his private life encouraging others to look at offsite techniques for themselves. He enjoys working with other like-minded people, sharing opportunities for best practice.

He was a founder member of the Construction Round Table and member of the Movement for Innovation (M4I). Since moving on from McDonalds’s in 2003, Richard has been an independent consultant, working for a number of organisations: Simons Group Ltd – consultant to the construction and development businesses. acumen 7 – A network of independent consultants, working for Blue Chip and Plc companies in all aspects of construction and development, including change-management; business development; off-site manufacturing across retail, industrial and government sectors. DfeS - Member of the working group of Building Schools for the Future. Responsible for defining how the new schools programme will develop in 2005 – 2015. Expenditure set at £5b per annum. This will evolve using procurement from both private and public sectors. Buildoffsite – Chairman of industry led group to encourage use of offsite construction in both Public and Private sectors.

Awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2010

Vertex - Juho Suomalainen

Juho Suomalainen is Managing Director of Vertex CAD/PDM Systems Pty Ltd, based in QLD Australia. He has held that position since company founded in 2008. Vertex CAD/PDM Systems is subsidiary of internationally operating Vertex Systems which has been founded 1977 in Finland.

Juho has been working with several building companies and Finnish government in various duties including research work in the Technical University of Tampere. He joined Vertex Systems 1998 holding positions in project engineering, sales and product management. Last 4 years he worked as their Channel Manager regarding Building Design application’s global sales and distribution network in Europe, Russia, US, Asia and Middle East.

Juho got his Bachelor of Civil Engineering Degree 1992 and completed his Master of Civil Engineering thesis 1998.

Todd Dunlop - Tekla

Pacific Computing has been the reseller of Tekla Structures software in Australia and New Zealand for nearly 15 years. Tekla Structures is one of the leading BIM software packages on the market today. It boasts over 18,000 licenses sold, with customers in almost 90 countries. BIM (Building Information Modeling) software is quickly overtaking today’s CAD market with Tekla leading the way. Its versatile capabilities make it the obvious solution when purchasing BIM.

Tekla Structures can be used for steel detailing, pre cast concrete detailing, reinforced concrete detailing, construction management, engineering, miscellaneous metal work, mining, and of course light steel framing. It is the means by which many of the world’s greatest man made creations have been designed and detailed. Pacific Computing is proud to be associated with Tekla Structures and be an instrument whereby great structures are created.

John Butts - Truss D&E

John Butts is president of John F. Butts & Associates, Inc. Colorado Springs, CO. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a degree in Architectural Engineering and is a registered structural engineer in several states. John has authored several structural manuals and computer programs for the design of CFS structures.

Truss D&E specializes in CFS design nationally and internationally.

Chris joined New Zealand Steel as their market manager in November 2007. He is a Board member of the National Association of Steel Framed Housing (NASH) in New Zealand and Chairman of Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ).  Since commencing his career with British Steel in 1990, Chris has held sales and marketing positions in the glass, plastics and timber building products sectors.  He is a Member of the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing. 

At New Zealand Steel, Chris has been responsible for developing and marketing the AXXIS® Steel for Framing brand which has been instrumental in growing the steel framing category in New Zealand

Charles Clifton is Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Auckland, a position he has held since 2008. Prior to that he was with the New Zealand Heavy Engineering Research Association, HERA, where he managed the HERA Structural Division from 1983 to 2007. Charles has a Batchelor of Engineering and a Master of Engineering from the University of Canterbury, both obtained in the 1970’s and a PhD from the University of Auckland obtained in 2005.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand and the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering and has been an author of over 90 peer reviewed publications and 2 patents. He has also been active in the technical support of NASH and light steel framing since the mid 1980’s and is very pleased to see that the “time has come” for this exciting and innovative form of construction.

The University of Auckland is ranked in the top 1% of Universities internationally and this presentation will cover current teaching and research into light steel framing. In teaching, this will include the scope of a postgraduate level course on light gauge steel behaviour and design, which was introduced in 2009.

In research it will include work on the seismic performance of brick veneer that has been undertaken in conjunction with the University of Melbourne, development of a new composite timber steel floor system and guidance on thermal performance and durability undertaken in conjunction with the New Zealand Heavy Engineering Research Association (HERA). It will highlight some areas of technical support which underpins the rapid increase in uptake of light steel framing which is currently occurring in New Zealand.

Graeme Stubbing developed the Speedfloor rollformed steel joist 13 years ago and is Managing Director of Speedfloor Ltd. Graeme’s background in Civil and Mechanical engineering gives him a unique perspective of construction, tempered with the knowledge of manufacture and in particular rollforming.

The development of the rollformed joist through initial trials and testing, on to market place acceptance in New Zealand and overseas took some innovative and creative thinking which has lead to a unique product which has now been used in 12 countries around the world.

Nick is Howick Ltd's Business Development Manager and works with our clients to develop new features and products to solve problems faced in the inustry. Nick ran Howick's UK office until mid 2011. He has worked at Howick for over 10 years and has been invloved with machine assembly, design, installations, sales and support as well as marketing in Europe.

Nick was in the UK from 2005 till 2011 and has worked closely with several of the big companies who are developing Steel Frame Systems as well as developing links with the software companies based in Europe.

In 2006 he received the Ackrill Media Group Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in North Yorkshire.

Scott Gardner