Five minutes with the new IECA Australasia President
As we mentioned few weeks back Kyle Robson, our Managing Director, was recently selected as the President of International Erosion Control Association (IECA) - Australasia. Kyle has been on the IECA Board of Directors for several years now and has driven significant change. The nomination of Kyle for the role of President highlights his commitment to the organisation, drive for continual improvement within industry and respect held by colleagues and peers. Here is your chance to get to know Kyle a bit more…
How was the conference?
It was a busy time, but great to catch up with so many members and industry professionals. Conferences are a great environment to learn, hear about what others are doing and most importantly, find a couple of minutes to have a chat with people you may not get to regularly sit down with to pick there brains about what they have been up to. We had over 130 people attend from memory, so it was a really good turnout.
What were the highlights and exciting points of the conference?
I really enjoy the New Zealand conferences where I get to see what’s being achieved on the other side of the ditch. There has been some pretty amazing projects occurring over there in the past few years and it’s great to see how they manage ESC in such steep terrain and sensitive environments. I also feel like there is good communication between everyone in the industry at the moment and everyone is learning from each other on what’s working well and what’s not. We even had a representative from the USA come over and talk about research in sediment basins that is occurring over there. I know he got a chance to go and tour some sites after the conference, so I feel like the culture of knowledge transfer isn’t limited to just regions which is great to see.
Sounds like you had a interesting and busy time at the conference, did you manage to enjoy yourself?
I actually really enjoyed Christchurch. For the first time I decided to take the family with me so we arrived a few days early to enjoy some time in Christchurch and then we were lucky enough to take the kids further south to see the snow for the first time. The scenery over there is so beautiful and so different to what I’m used to. It was so awesome to see a stream running through the middle of the city that was crystal clear. We’ll definitely head back over there again.
What’s making your life so hectic at work, anything interesting?
Topo is involved in a lot of good projects, including some very high profile jobs. This makes for an interesting and dynamic work environment and I personally get to work in some really great teams. Recent changes to the SPP in Queensland and the release of the finalised Appendix B document have also meant some fairly major changes in thought process occurring within industry. We are embracing the change in standards and working hard with clients to help them understand why the changes are occurring and what it means for them on the ground.
Ok, enough about work, what are your interests?
I am lucky enough to live on the Sunshine Coast, which allows me to spend a lot of time at the beach and in the surf. I actually just got in from a morning surf as I write this, so I’m a bit late today :) Enjoying our beaches and water is a big reason why I am so passionate about the quality of runoff and protecting our waterways. I also have three little people (Ayla, Evie and Finn) who vary between 12 weeks and 5 years old. They definitely keep me busy!