Cardno’s new chief executive Ian Ball may be new to the role but he has already visited Cardno’s South Coast office in Wollongong twice since taking the helm of the global professional services company.
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Mr Ball has more than 30 years’ international experience in consulting and professional services leadership in the fields of financial services, technology, innovation and Federal Government and is impressed by the professionalism of the team in Wollongong who do work all over Australia.
Mr Ball joined the company after an extensive candidate search by the Cardno board and said Cardno South Coast was one of the company’s strongest business units.
His opinion of the Wollongong based team is significant given his him senior executive and leadership experience in global companies such as IBM and Ernst and Young (EY). He also holds a Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bristol, has completed the Executive Strategic Management Program at INSEAD in France and the Executive Strategic Leaders Course at Harvard Business School.
Cardno has more than 8000 staff working across 200 business units world-wide.
Mr Ball took the opportunity to meet Wollongong Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery during his second visit which coincided with return of business unit manager Peter Moy.
He has been welcomed back to the role after stepping down as regional manager to head up the South Coast Business Unit.
Cardno South Coast presently employs 120 full time engineers, planners, scientists and project managers
Mr Ball said that number has almost doubled in recent years coinciding with the opening of the new much larger modern new office in Burelli Street.
“This is not our largest office but it is certainly in that league,” he said.
“We have 120 people here. A few years ago when we were at a different location we had about 65. It is absolutely one of the best offices we have in all of our 130 locations”.
Mr Moy and Senior Principal Planning David Laing said many graduates had been sourced from the University of Wollongong and Wollongong TAFE with the support of Cardno’s fully resourced graduate program.
“The great student program we have down here I am actually going to take to other places where we bring more graduates in but we don’t just bring them into one discipline,” Mr Ball said.
“We actually move them around so they get to see lots of different disciplines and then at the end of that two to three year period they can choose which one they want to join.
“That is unique to Wollongong. This South Coast office actually created that experience of them.
“I think that is a big part of why we are so successful at recruiting locally and have so many graduates from the TAFE and the university.
“We actually create a really good experience of them. And they come out as really well rounded.”
Mr Ball said the Wollongong office was also known for its innovation and the introduction of new technology.
“Because it is such a young office in its demographic we get a lot of people who are very technology savvy,” he said.
“We have some really good technology here which we take to other offices. And it is very connected to this community”.
Cardno is extensively involved in land development, industry, road and rail infrastructure, utilities, commercial, housing, institutional, waste, mining and tourism sectors
Flagship projects include Albion Park Rail Bypass, West Dapto and Calderwood Urban Release Areas, Tullimbar, Tallawarra, and Port Kembla Industrial Lands
Wollongong staff also work on many projects outside the region in the Sydney Metro Region, Southern Highlands, Camden, Macarthur and South West Sector
And members of the team frequently go on specialist secondments to Darwin, Tasmania and South East Queensland.
Cardno continues to support the Urban Development Institute and Property Council of NSW and Australia.
The business also provides generous pro-bono support for local not-for-profit organisations and is an active campaigner for many worthwhile causes.
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
