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Marcus Pillay

Job: 

Principal Engineer Auckland Transport and the Requirements Manager for the Waterview Shared Path Project.

Job description: 

To work on the scope, concept design and delivery of the Waterview Shared Path making sure that it meets set requirements and standards and working with the Well Connected Alliance to solve any problems that may arise.

Work background: 

I have a background in delivering a range of major projects for roading, structural and civil projects. My experience extends to heavy engineering ie furnace plants and kiln plants design and maintenance, mining operation, air pulsation, Jig Plants design, operations and maintenance, materials engineering developments. Also design and built engineering solutions for wineries, timber processing plants, road building equipment, structural works, food processing plants, etc. 

Favourite part of job: 

With today’s complex projects the really cool parts are building the team or teams for the job, planning the work and testing the innovations. 

Least favourite part of job: 

Often projects take 2-5 years to deliver so you build really good working relationships with a range of people and then you have to start again when you begin a new project.

What I am working on now: 

I have the Waterview Shared Path Project nearing completion but it takes as much effort to shut down a project as it does to start one up. I have another really interesting shared path project awaiting approval and I'm also looking to see what other projects are available.

A quick story about a job well done: 

We tried in 2007 to get a small bridge across the Oakley Creek valley and it was stopped by third party property stakeholders. This experience gave me the skills to tackle the very difficult issue of land access across the route and find solutions.

A (humorous) story about a job that went badly and what you learned: 

I was working on a maintenance project and had been consulting with the residents for a short time. We arrived at the front door to speak with the residents who had just returned from vacation and we could smell gas. The gas was coming from a retaining wall that we had built which was now needing repair. Suddenly we were forced to evacuate the site and turn off their gas, water and power supply which all went through the damaged retaining wall. We had to declare an emergency until we could make the site safe.The lesson learned was that you never know just how quickly something can change and you need to solve problems quickly, especially when people's safety is at risk.

Qualifications: 
  • Masters of Science in Engineering University of Natal
  • Masters of Engineering in Transportation University of Auckland
  • Masters of Business Administration University of Auckland
Interests outside work: 
  • Catching up with family and friends (often included in overseas travel)
  • I enjoy travel to different parts of the world. I have only seen 18% of the world so there is lots of scope!
  • I enjoy reading various topics online
  • I enjoy baking and cooking meals

Marcus Pillay is Principal Engineer at Auckland Transport. Image: M. Pillay

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