David Foster

Director and General Manager – Culture & Learning

Joined CPM January 2013

David Foster

David is a Company Director, General Manager – Culture & Learning and senior engineering manager with over 30 years’ experience in the infrastructure sector. He has a strong understanding across the life cycle of projects, from business case through planning, procurement, design, construction, commissioning and handover of projects.

David brings his knowledge and experience as a construction contractor and client-side leader to build teams, engage stakeholders and mobilise support for projects. He understands how to structure agreements to deliver complex infrastructure across multiple levels of government and multiple government agencies.

David has strong project governance skills and organisation design abilities. He has an excellent delivery record, communication and leadership skills, along with advanced skills in procurement, cost management, tender preparation, design management, and project delivery.

What drew you to your career?

From a young age, I have always had a passion for building things. My parents said I had the hardest working Tonka Trucks and I loved creating with Lego. This passion stayed with me throughout my life, and I never doubted that I would pursue a career that allowed me to continue building and creating.

After university, I started work at a regional Council and later moved to Leighton’s as a site engineer. As I progressed through the ranks and became a Project Manager, I discovered my strengths for managing designs and being involved earlier in the projects concept. Being able to lead and bring to life a project from its concept to its completion is really fulfilling.

What is your favourite part of your role?

What I love about the work I do now is working with diverse teams and helping our client solve their problems. It’s very satisfying, building trust within the client’s team and our team to deliver results, and also leaving the client in a better position than they were before we came in. We fully integrate into the team, and readily share our knowledge and experience so their people also grow and develop throughout the process.

What is your proudest achievement, greatest learning or career highlight?

The thing that gives me the most joy is the team we have at CPM, and how we’ve been able to collect this amazing group of talented people, many of whom have been with us for years and grown with the business. We’re aligned on values, and work well together to get great results for our clients and for the team members as well. 

What is your proudest achievement, greatest learning?

To me, unlocking hidden value means delivering something more than the client expected from us.
One of my favourite examples is when a client asked us to knock down a bridge and rebuild it. We looked at the bridge (which wasn’t very old), analysed and load-tested it for the client’s new requirements. We found that they didn’t actually need to knock that bridge down, but just needed to invest in load testing and recertifying it – saving about $40 million and a huge amount of risk and disruption.

On each project we spend time with the client, asking questions, understanding the desired outcomes, and working with them to get the best result.

What are your passions, hobbies, and interests outside of work?

I’m a keen mountain biker – I love riding out in the forest with my mates. I also have a busy family life, and get a lot of joy from being on community group committees (like school P&Fs and other committees). I get a lot of satisfaction from working with others and giving back.