Congratulations to our five new Young Professional Advisors (YPAs), who are joining the NZIOB YPA Committee and their respective Regional Committees for 2021.

• Ashkat Malhotra is a Senior Mechanical Engineer with Beca’s Auckland Building Services team. He is a passionate design consultant with a track record of delivering many vertical construction projects within New Zealand ranging in size from small scale fit-outs to multi-million-dollar large scale developments. Ashkat is already a significant contributor to the industry via his involvement in the Association of Consulting Engineers and guest lecturing at the University of Auckland.
• Kat Richards is Design Manager for Southbase Construction, working in the greater Auckland region. She completed a Bachelor of Architectural Studies in 2014 from the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology and worked for Fletcher Construction from her second year of study until completion of her degree. Kat has since completed a cadetship in Construction Management.
• Parke Englebretsen is a Quantity Surveyor for First Principles Constructors in Wellington, who predominantly work on projects in the industrial food processing sector. Parke has worked across a mix of Design and Build, and build-only projects, which range in budget from $100k to $50M.
• Shannon Lenihan is an Interior Architecture Graduate working for Tennent Brown Architects in Wellington. She has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies and Master of Interior Architecture from Victoria University of Wellington and was recently awarded her LBP Design 2 License. Her professional career to date has included work on small scale residential and commercial fit outs, right through to high yield commercial developments $100M+ in value.
• Tom Evans is currently working as General Manager and Lead Landscape Architect for Inside Out Design in Christchurch. He has Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Lincoln University. Working as a landscape architect, Tom regularly works side-by-side with construction professionals during his projects, which has embedded in him a desire to help young construction and landscape professionals understand that a holistic approach creates better outcomes.

About the Young Professional Advisors Committee

Like many professional membership organisations, the NZIOB is constantly challenged with ensuring its membership and activities remain relevant and responsive to younger people who are now developing their careers within the construction industry. To address this, in 2019 the NZIOB created a Young Professional Advisor (YPA) Committee, made up of emerging leaders from within the construction industry, who are in the beginning stages of their governance careers. Our YPAs provide strategic guidance from the perspective of millennials to the NZIOB National Board.