David Olm
Team Leader
Joined CPM August 2022
David is a Chartered Professional Engineer, RPEQ (26684), Project Manager, and Traffic Management Designer (TMD OP 459) with over 10 years of experience working on civil infrastructure projects. He has a detailed knowledge of water and sewerage infrastructure, and roads and drainage Infrastructure, and has worked on projects through all phases of the project life cycle. This includes working on new civil infrastructure projects in a greenfield setting, the operation and maintenance of existing assets, and the installation of new or upgraded infrastructure in an operational or brownfield site setting where continuous operation has been required. David’s background working in the Local Government sector has provided a great opportunity for him to have a practical understanding of public works, and how networks operate from an asset owner’s perspective. This insight has been vital for David to deliver high-quality civil infrastructure projects that meet the needs of the client and community as a whole.
What drew you to your career?
I have always been drawn to math and science, trying to understand how things work, problem solving, and practically applying my knowledge. Engineering and project management is a great mix of all these elements by using a scientific/technical approach to practically solve real world problems. It also allows for creativity and free thinking. Being a good Engineer or Project Manager is not about maintaining the status quo or following prescribed outcomes. It is about finding creative out of the box solutions that improve the status quo while also meeting the project requirements and constrains.
What is your favourite part of your role?
The construction phase is my favourite part of the role. It is great to see plans becoming reality. Construction is the culmination of months (sometimes years) of hard work initiating/planning/designing and gaining approval for the proposed works. You get to see how well designs/plans can be implemented, how smoothly construction progresses, and how well the end product achieves the desired project benefits/outcomes. The construction phase also provides great feedback for personal improvement and lessons learnt.
What is your proudest achievement, greatest learning?
One of my proudest achievements was delivering a flood warning system for a small Regional Council that was fit for purpose and is still in use today. The project delivered multiple rain river height alert gauges, PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) camera stations to remotely monitor the floodplain and conditions of bridges/Floodways, and rainfall alert gauges in key locations. This system has lasting benefits that include disaster management, flood modeling data validation, and road network status updates. This project was successfully delivered despite having a significantly constrained budget, strict conditions and deadlines from the State Government funding providers, difficulty sourcing/retaining skilled staff, and remote/hard-to-reach locations.
What are your passions, hobbies, interests outside of work?
Outside of work I love to work on my family’s farm in the Lockyer Valley. This is a mixed farming operation focusing on growing organic garlic, seasonal vegetables, and beef cattle. It’s a great outlet for my practical side. I love nothing more than getting my hands dirty harvesting, welding up a gate, or mustering some cattle. I am also a keen beer nerd and all-grain home brewer.