Back to People Spotlight: Meet Our Team
Water Resource ManagementWater Supply and TreatmentSouth Australia
Tonkin's People Spotlight gives you behind the scenes insights about the technical specialists in our business.
Meet Ian: Design & Drafting Team Leader - Water
A lead drafter in Tonkin’s Water team in Adelaide, Ian plays an integral role in delivering major water and wastewater infrastructure projects across South Australia - specialising in water network design using 12d and AutoCAD. From pipelines and pump stations to mentoring and supporting the wider team, he is a trusted leader within the business. Ian is known just as much for his cheeky sense of humour as he is for his skills.
Ian is particularly focused on the future of digital engineering, recognising the importance of building sustainable and scalable knowledge across the team. For Ian, it’s not just about adopting new technology, but about finding smarter and more effective ways to deliver better outcomes for clients and projects alike.
Meet Ian: Design & Drafting Team Leader - Water
A lead drafter in Tonkin’s Water team in Adelaide, Ian plays an integral role in delivering major water and wastewater infrastructure projects across South Australia - specialising in water network design using 12d and AutoCAD. From pipelines and pump stations to mentoring and supporting the wider team, he is a trusted leader within the business. Ian is known just as much for his cheeky sense of humour as he is for his skills.
Ian is particularly focused on the future of digital engineering, recognising the importance of building sustainable and scalable knowledge across the team. For Ian, it’s not just about adopting new technology, but about finding smarter and more effective ways to deliver better outcomes for clients and projects alike.
How long have you been at Tonkin and what keeps you here?
I've been at Tonkin for 9 years next month, the thing that keeps me here are the people, the projects, and the opportunities to advance what I do, and how I do it.
What are your specialties and areas of interest?
I am a civil designer/drafter with a focus on water and wastewater networks using 12d and AutoCAD.
What do you see as the biggest challenge for the drafting and design industry in SA right now?
Integrating digital engineering into our current drafting/design process. We need to upskill in how we approach this new method. We have a number of people in-house with these skills, so it's about how we build that knowledge within the team and do it in a way that's sustainable and scalable across the company.
If you weren’t in this role, what would you love to be doing?
I'd walk the earth and help people, like Caine in Kung-Fu. And if I needed money, I could draft what needs drafting.