Judges

Kevin Cohen Kevin commenced his carpentry and joinery apprenticeship in 1972. He completed his trade qualifications and Clerk of Works. Kevin is a company director of a successful family business, CoWyn Building Contractors Pty Ltd. During that time working in the building industry, Kevin was involved as a site foreman, project manager and he coordinated apprenticeship training. Kevin has been involved in a number of varied projects which include churches, schools, industrial buildings and aged care complexes. He now acts as a judge for the Master Builders Association of NSW Excellence in Construction Awards.

Peter Deane Peter has a Civil Engineering Honours Degree from UNSW and is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia. With 40 years’ experience in the construction industry in Australia and overseas, Peter’s input has ranged from the role of General Manager running state operations for major companies such as Lend Lease and Abigroup, to that of Project Director for major projects (acting for both owner/developer and contractors), and to the managing of Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) schemes and Alliances involving government and non-government partners. Projects and input have been geographically spread across Australia (including remote Northern Territory), the United Kingdom and Singapore, with significant projects including the first major modern designed shopping centre in Singapore (Centrepoint), the Galleria Morley Shopping Centre in Perth, and the Sydney Superdome (Qudos Bank Arena) and P1 Car Park for 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Stephen Edwards Stephen completed a Civil Engineering Honours degree at UNSW in 1967. In 1968 he was called up for National Service and after graduating as a Second Lieutenant spent the remainder of his two years as an instructor at the School of Military Engineering, mostly teaching Demolitions and Mine Warfare. Following his discharge from the Army, Stephen completed a Master of Engineering Science Degree (Construction) and then headed to London where he worked for a large commercial builder. After gaining further project management experience back in Sydney, Stephen and his wife Jenny established Stephen Edwards Constructions Pty Ltd in 1980. This family company has grown to have 105 employees and an annual turnover of $110 million in 2021. ‘SEC’ specialises in government, commercial and aged care projects and is now largely run by two of Stephen’s sons. Stephen has been an active member of the MBA for 42 years. Katie Hibbert Senior Inspector with Harm Prevention and Compliance Programs, Construction Metro SafeWork NSW. Currently an Inspector, with 15 years of service and experience across construction — specialising in the electrical trade, heavy industry, and transport. Katie began her career as an Apprentice Signal Electrician with RailCorp (now Sydney Trains) at 15 years old. Progressing through the ranks to Work Group Leader and then Team Leader, she remains the youngest woman (within Sydney Trains) to complete her trade as an Electrician, becoming fully qualified on her 19th birthday. Her personal drive for workplace safety comes from the tragic loss of a friend in a workplace accident in 2016. Moving to SafeWork NSW as an Inspector in 2019 has seen involvement in the development and roll out of projects such as Working At Heights, Scaff Safe, Solar Installations and recently Silica. Katie has a passion for protecting and promoting the health and safety of vulnerable workers such as apprentices and young workers in the Construction industry. Currently completing a law degree, her ultimate aim is to continue to advocate for better safety on worksites in the Construction industry with an education before enforcement approach.

John Humphreys John was responsible for managing the design and construction of the Gore Hill Project for Lindsay Bennelong Development. John has a wealth of experience acquired throughout a career in property development spanning the residential, commercial, industrial, retail, and transportation sectors. John’s involvement on scores of major mixed-use developments with similar opportunities and constraints to the Gore Hill project enables him to provide valuable insight to the development team. Significant projects which John has influenced include the commercial office buildings at Sydney Airport Centre, and the $500 million City Quarter re-development of Camperdown Children’s Hospital. He was part of the CPG Developments team that designed and constructed the $350 million Kooindah Waters Residential Golf Resort and the Rushcutters Bay ADVANX residential development. Recent projects include the Masters Hardware Store at Northmead, the new Ronald McDonald House at Westmead, High Grove residential estate at Box Hill, NSW and the New Clarendon Homes Baboon enclosure at Zambie Wildlife Retreat. John has a Diploma in Quantity Surveying from UNSW. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors.

Judges

Richard McEwen Richard is a retired architect with extensive experience in the management, design, documentation and construction of architectural high-rise office buildings, commercial, industrial, residential, hotel, leisure and refurbishment projects. For 23 years Richard was a Director and later Managing Director of Travis McEwen Group/Architectus, a large Sydney-based architectural, urban design and interior architecture practice. He was responsible for all corporate compliance, financial accounts and management, human resource management, marketing and project implementation. After selling his shares in the Practice he joined Lipman Pty Ltd where, for 11 years, he was the Business Development Manager.

John McKellar John commenced his construction career with Mainline Constructions in 1971. Since that time, he spent 42 years in varying rolls of site management, project management and senior management roles. After working for several major companies, he spent the most recent 25 years with A W Edwards Pty Limited as a Senior Project Manager and then the Companies Commercial Manager for the last 12 years up to retirement in 2013. Over this period, he has been responsible for many key projects including Sports facilities, hospitals, commercial developments, research facilities and university education facilities. John holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Building) from the UTS.

Max Mosher Max is an energy consultant and has worked in the energy industry for more than 40 years. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in relation to solar and energy-efficient house design, including energy utilisation in the domestic sector and thermal performance assessments. Max has been a committee member on a Standards Australia Review Committee BD/058 titled “Materials for the Thermal Insulation of Buildings”. He has been on the judging panels for the Building Designers Association Annual Design Awards, the Master Builders Association Excellence in Housing and Construction Awards, the Master Builders Australia National Excellence in Building and Construction Awards, and the Local Government Association Environment Awards. Max is a founding member and former director of the Association of Building Sustainability Assessors (ABSA). Patrick Murphy Patrick commenced in the Building Industry in 1969 and shortly after received his Certificate of Competency in Carpentry and Bachelor Applied Science (Building) from the Institute of Technology. A director of A W Edwards Pty Limited until he retired, he worked for the company for 43 years. He was the Project Manager for numerous major projects throughout Sydney including many fitouts encompassing the retail, banking, schools, shopping centres and scientific sectors.

David Solomon David has worked in the building and construction industry for more than 33 years. He is a “Fellow” and dual international ISQEM Safety Award winner 2015 & 2016, for his commitment and involvement in developing a positive safety culture in the building and construction industry. David was recently appointed to the board as an International Director of ISQEM. He developed the award-winning submission that saw MBA NSW receive the 2021 SafeWork NSW Association’s category. David is Standards Australia Chairman of Occupational Health and Safety Management Committee, Standards Australia International Head of Delegation, and the Convenor of ISO 45004 Working Group responsible for the development of a new international Standard for OH&S Performance Evaluation. David is a Certified Management Systems Specialist, and is Price Waterhouse Coopers External Advisory Board Chairman. He is also a Director on the board of the Crane Industry Council of Australia. David regularly reviews safety and technical documentation for State and National Government departments. David leads by example, driving safety awareness while never losing sight of the industry’s grass roots.

Len Tully Len completed a Bachelor of Architecture in 1975 and has more than 35 years’ experience in the building and construction industry, working mainly on projects in aged care, schools, and churches. He has worked with several architectural firms in Sydney, including holding directorship positions. As part of his work, he managed designs through documentation to completed built projects. In 2012, he retired from his position as director of T+E Architects but remains involved with the judging of the Master Builders Association of NSW Excellence in Construction Awards.