Aurecon recruits Todd Battley as its new chief executive for Australia

Asia Pacific engineering and advisory firm Aurecon has appointed former AECOM A/NZ chief Todd Battley as its new Australia CEO, bringing three decades of industry experience to the role.

First joining AECOM as a graduate civil engineer in Townsville in 1996, Battley crosses to Aurecon after spending the past four and a half years as the rival consultancy’s chief strategy officer, before which he spent three years as chief executive for Australia and New Zealand.

In his new role, Battley will work closely with incoming group chief executive Louise Adams, who is due to take the helm from the beginning of July. The firm’s leadership refresh has also included the recent appointment of Gabe Carter as Asia CEO based out of Singapore.

“Todd has the capabilities and breadth of global experience to steer Aurecon, ensuring that we scale effectively while remaining agile and responsive to our clients’ needs,” Adams stated. “His extensive experience in strategy, coupled with his passion for people, clients, and performance, will drive Aurecon’s Australian business to even greater success,”

Adams said the appointment would in particular help the firm take advantage of opportunities in the energy, water, and infrastructure sectors, with Battley having served as group director for water & infrastructure and environment at Aecom prior to taking over as Northern and Western Australia regional managing director and then chief executive (from now global president Lara Poloni).

Battley also brings further expertise in digital engineering practices and transformation, along with a strong record of fostering innovation and achieving high levels of staff engagement, including as a long-term champion of greater gender diversity within the engineering and infrastructure sector.

“I thrive on inspiring teams and have a passion for innovation and integrating diverse capabilities to deliver seamless offerings,” Battley said. “I look forward to steering Aurecon to continue to innovate and do things differently, as the key to our success will be effectively delivering differentiated client services in an increasingly cost-conscious environment.”

Alongside Adams, Battley’s appointment continues an extensive senior leadership transition at Aurecon, with former Vietnam and Thailand country managing director Gabe Carter – who started his career with the firm as a graduate in Sydney – taking over as Asia CEO only last month, and Tracey Ryan elevated to New Zealand chief executive in the middle of last year.

Since her own appointment, Adams has frequently noted the growing complexity of the global landscape; “We’re operating in a time of rapid change, with sustainability, urbanisation, and digital transformation at the forefront. This requires leaders with deep expertise and broad experience across varied industries and geographies.”