Jade is an industry leading engineer, and a founder of Kirk Roberts Consulting. Established in 2006, Kirk Roberts has expanded to five offices across New Zealand with a growing team of multi-disciplinary experts and consultants. An innovative leader, Jade specialises in complex engineering and large-scale project developments.

Renowned for his technical expertise and broad industry knowledge Jade’s experience has enabled the company to develop from a small consultancy to New Zealand’s leading medium-sized engineering practice. He is keenly involved in design while providing strategic leadership.

Outside of work, he thrives when pushing his boundaries on the slopes, rugby field and in the surf. In his words, anything his insurance company doesn’t like.

“We’re proud to have created a company with excellent technical competency and quality for clients; one that drives innovation, looks after its employees and has an exceptional culture.”

Find out more

Damian McMillan is a founding director of the company, opening the Tauranga office in 2006. With over 20 years in the construction and engineering industry, he is knowledgeable and experienced in managing complex projects, building key client relationships, and developing a national team. He has been exposed to a large variety of projects including industrial, commercial, retail, healthcare, education, and software development. Damian brings succinct communication with a ‘no surprises’ approach for clients. With a passion for innovation, he is focused on driving the company forward through new initiatives, culture, and software development.

When he’s not in the office, you’ll find Damian fishing, diving, or gardening (with a chainsaw and any other powertool!) and spending time with his family.

Find out more

With a career spanning over 27 years, Craig provides valued input into a wide variety of projects, from conception through to completion. He thrives in leading our client-focused team who have a real desire to deliver projects.

Craig enjoys skiing, fishing, and mountain biking (particularly downhill!.

“We’re a vibrant dynamic team that works hard and is valued.”

Jan is the Regional Manager for the Auckland area and brings to the role nearly 20 years of experience in analysis, design, and delivery of multi-disciplinary projects in the residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure sectors. His expertise and focus includes structural engineering, modular and volumetric designs and delivery. He is committed to finding innovative and cost-effective design solutions for clients. He manages a high-performing office environment of 40 professional staff, effectively and with humour.

Jan has previously lived and worked in The Czech Republic, Spain, England, Ireland, and Canada. Out of working hours, he can be found on his mountain bike or hiking and skiing with his family.

“We celebrate 17 cultures in our Auckland office, and we thrive by developing strong and trusted relationships with project stakeholders”

Nik George leads our South Island team. A structural engineer with over 25 years experience with a strong multidiscipline focus, Nik has worked in the UK on projects ranging in value from $0.5M to $100M across most major sectors. He came to New Zealand in 2012 to work on the Christchurch rebuild. Having settled in New Zealand his role has progressed through the management of national discipline teams to the current role of supporting our 70 staff in Christchurch.

Outside of work he enjoys squash, boating and sea fishing.

“Bringing everyone’s different ideas into focus is a passion for me. Creating and delivering efficient and cost effective solution for our clients is a fundamental driving force.”

Steve is the regional manager for our Kirikiriroa (Hamilton) office and has considerable experience in ground engineering and project management on a wide range of major infrastructure projects across New Zealand. Steve understands client requirements, as well as the multi-disciplinary approach needed to deliver successful projects for his clients.

On the weekends you’ll find Steve active and busy maintaining his beautiful lifestyle block and enjoying the mighty Waikato.

“We’ve got awesome people, a great new space, a growing client list, and exciting projects across the Waikato Region. We’re all really looking forward to what is to come.”

With over 20 years of experience across a wide range of industries both in North America and New Zealand, Jordan brings a practical approach to his engineering solutions. Jordan applies cost-effective solutions that consider more than just the typical geotechnical issues. His hands-on approach means he is involved in all stages of a project.

As a natural team builder, Jordan has developed our Geotechnical, Civil, and Environmental teams from a small group of 3-4 engineers in 2015, to now being recognised as a significant leader in the supply of Geotechnical, Civil, and Environmental Solutions within New Zealand.

Out of the office, Jordan enjoys competing in ultimate (frisbee), golf (both the traditional form and the disc form), racket sports, exploring New Zealand with his young family, and introducing people to the world of modern board games.

Al is the National Manager of Software at Kirk Roberts and is the founding developer of Specifi, Kirk Roberts’ online structural engineering tool.  He has around 30 years experience working both in New Zealand and internationally.  He leads a small team of developers focussing on Specifi and internal applications for the wider KR team.

Al lives in Nelson with his family and is an avid golfer and skier.  He and his wife also own a boutique Nelson winery, so life is never dull.

“I really respect the vision that Kirk Roberts has when it comes to automating and improving the way our industry works.  We see pain points and truly try and ‘find better ways’”.

Adair has 25 years’ experience as a Civil Engineer and his experience encompasses the design and project management of roading, subdivisions, and large commercial developments.

He enjoys the challenge of managing a team of dedicated engineers and delivering projects from concept through to completion.  Adair has a depth of experience working on multiple projects simultaneously ranging from commercial, industrial, retail, education, residential, health and land development.

Away from work, Adair enjoys the outdoors (mountain biking, hunting, fishing, and tramping), and spending time with his family.

Aidan is the national manager for Specifi, an online structural engineering tool, as well as a structural manager for Christchurch. Aidan’s comprehensive knowledge of the construction and engineering industry is further enhanced by his expertise in low-rise residential buildings. He leads a vibrant young team, who are always excited to learn more and enjoy being faced with a challenge.

Aidan is kept busy at home with three young boys of his own. He loves to get outside walking, running, biking, or skiing.

“In this ever-changing industry technology has become a very important component in finding the best solutions and staying ahead of competition. At Kirk Roberts, we believe it is important to invest in the digital future.”

Amber is passionate about connecting talent to Kirk Roberts, understanding what candidates are looking for in their careers, and how they connect with the KR purpose. You could say she is obsessed with the candidate experience and wants to bring everyone on that journey.

Amber partners with our leaders across the business to help build our high-performing teams; delivering employer branding and improvement initiatives to help drive our overall strategic vision.

“KR is a great place to work, I’m proud to be part of the team and bring more great people into the KR family.”

With more than two decades of fire engineering experience across New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and the Middle East, Christian brings global expertise and technical depth to every project he’s involved in. His diverse career has seen him take on complex, high-profile challenges—including serving as Lead Fire Engineer for the USD $8B Dubai Metro—alongside shaping policy, research, and innovative fire safety practices in the built environment.

Christian’s approach is truly interdisciplinary. With qualifications in fire engineering, economics, and chemistry, as well as self-taught legal knowledge, he tackles compliance and design challenges through unique lenses, often uncovering underutilised legal pathways for performance-based fire solutions. His research has been published internationally on topics like combustible cladding and regulatory reform, and he has presented to Parliament’s Regulations Review Committee, with his recommendations adopted by the Minister for Building and Construction and elevated to Cabinet.

At Kirk Roberts, Christian is focused on solving complex compliance issues and applying strategic thinking that challenges the status quo—all while aligning with our mission to find better ways.

Outside of the office, Christian is known for his thoughtful curiosity, commitment to lifelong learning, a passion for driving industry progress, and is an avid tennis player.

Daniel has over 18 years of architectural experience undertaking design and documentation within the residential, commercial, industrial, and education sectors. He enjoys working with clients to develop innovative architectural designs.

His versatile nature has seen him accumulate a wide range of experience across various multi-disciplinary project types for Kirk Roberts Consulting undertaking project procurement, project conversion, client management, design development, statutory management, and design coordination with all Kirk Robert’s disciplines.

Outside of work, he enjoys hunting ‘big’ game in deep bush cover throughout the central plateau. At home, any free time is dedicated to his 12Ha livestock farm (beef) where there is always work to be done.

In additional to David’s experience as a Senior Structural Engineer in New Zealand, he holds an academic Masters’ in Engineering and is a member of Engineering New Zealand.

David is highly skilled in all aspects of structural design and analysis. He has broad experience displayed primarily in the design of commercial, low to medium rise construction.

Debbie is a dedicated financial professional with a disciplined and ‘no-surprises’ approach to monthly reporting, utilising 20 years of extensive experience and expertise across multiple industries to add value to an organisation. As well as leading and motivating the finance team, Debbie has a particular interest in “Finding Better Ways” by utilising systems, policy and process improvements to achieve efficiencies.

Firas is a Technical Director – Geotechnical and Chartered Professional Geotechnical Engineer (CPEng) with over 20 years of experience across New Zealand and overseas. His main focus is to offer practical, effective geotechnical advice that enables clients to make informed decisions. Firas has developed and led the geotechnical engineering team in Christchurch and provides technical support to the wider geotechnical teams across our regional offices and collaborates with other disciplines to ensure smooth work delivery.

Firas is a committed team player and a skilled leader who understands that achieving success relies on understanding the unique challenge of each project and effective communication between all parties at all levels.

Hayden has over 13 years experience in Drafting and BIM across the South African, Middle Eastern, and New Zealand markets, working with a wide variety of building types including residential, warehouses, hotels, apartments, bridges, and mixed-use developments.

You’ll find Hayden taking part in a range of sports like squash, soccer and tennis outside of work to maintain a healthy lifestyle or attending exciting live sports matches, a great way to enjoy the sports he loves.

“Our clients are always looking for new and innovative ways to carry out projects and at Kirk Roberts that is what we thrive in doing.”

Herman has over 15 years of experience in fire engineering consultancy services in the construction industry in New Zealand. He has diverse project experience and detailed knowledge of fire engineering topics.

Jane is based in our Tauranga office and leads our team of experienced administrators across New Zealand.

She believes the hard work and dedication of the administration team are a definite asset to Kirk Roberts. Their attention to detail, efficiency, and ability to handle multiple tasks are invaluable supporting not only their own, but other departments as well.

Outside of work Jane loves catching up with friends and family, and now with two grown boys loves to travel.

“Kirk Roberts prioritises building a positive culture, upholding core values, and fostering effective teamwork which makes us better positioned to achieve goals and thrive.”

Jason is the Geotechnical Team Leader for the Tauranga office. He is a Chartered Professional Engineering Geologist and a Tauranga City Council Accredited Category 1 Engineering Geologist.

Jason has over 16 years experience working as an engineering geologist within the Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions across a broad range of projects, including residential, commercial and industrial projects, bulk earthworks and land development, and landfill/cleanfill construction and monitoring.

Jason lives in Tauranga with his wife and young daughter, and outside of work Jason’s hobbies include formula one, video games and all things pop culture.

Jens is the technical lead for the environmental team in Christchurch and provides environmental support nationwide. He is a certified environmental practitioner (CEnvP) with experience in contaminated land matters, stormwater and ecology.

Jens enjoys maintaining the excellent team culture at Kirk Roberts and guiding the environmental team through complex contaminated land investigations, remediation and validation. He is always looking for better ways to streamline remedial earthworks and make a site safe while avoiding or reducing soil disposal costs. “If you can mix or encapsulate it – don’t dump it”.

Outside of work, Jens enjoys water sports with foil, sail and paddle, backcountry trips and gardening.

Jo leads Kirk Robert’s Marketing and Communications activities undertaking all aspects of development of the brands as the company grows and diversifies. An effective, creative, and collaborative leader she has a strong focus on internal and external communications, culture and brand management, client events, website development, and driving our digital strategy.

Out of the office, you will find Jo making the most of the gorgeous New Zealand outdoors exploring, biking, or swimming with her family, or digesting a decent, juicy novel in the sun with a botanical G&T!

“Collaborating with the team to bring great ideas to life is exciting. It’s really inspiring seeing the current growth, and the company culture Kirk Roberts is creating throughout New Zealand.”

Lynda brings over 25 years of senior leadership experience across both public and private sectors in New Zealand, with a focus on people strategy, culture, operational excellence and transformation. As GM Operations, People and Culture, she leads our operational delivery and people strategy, ensuring our teams are empowered, connected, and set up for success.

Lynda is passionate about creating high-performing environments where people feel genuinely valued and supported. She enjoys the collaborative, down-to-earth culture at Kirk Roberts and is proud to be part of a business that blends innovation and technical excellence with strong values and a real sense of purpose.

In her spare time, Lynda enjoys time with her two sons, interior design, and exploring the outdoors around Christchurch.

“Great people and purposeful work, I’m excited to keep adding value by simplifying complexity, enabling performance, and creating the kind of culture where people and great outcomes thrive together.  It is a privilege to be a part of a national team that designs and delivers solutions across disciplines, sectors, and regions with innovative thinking, technical depth, and a genuine drive to make a difference.”

 

Meng is Kirk Robert’s financial controller and an Associate. With over ten years experience in finance, she works alongside the Financial Director, for all KR entities financials and prepares the company’s financial reports.

Out of the office, Meng enjoy walking, yoga, and socialising with friends.

“I enjoy working with our lovely and friendly colleagues at Kirk Roberts. With the company growth,  it’s exciting to have the opportunity to continually be developing.”

Based in Queenstown, Ollie services the Central Otago region. He is an experienced Engineering Geologist with a wide range of experience in the Queenstown Lakes District providing specialist geotechnical investigations and assessments.

An excellent communicator, Ollie forges strong relationships with clients, contractors, stakeholders, and the wider community. His ability to deliver cost-effective solutions for clients is second to none.

Ollie enjoys getting outdoors, running or mountain biking the trails around Queenstown or spending time with his family.

With 12-plus years of experience, Parthiban is an expert in the structural design and supervision of residential, industrial, and commercial projects.

Parthiban and his team provide valuable engineering design input on projects and ensure that this high level of design is followed in construction through to completion. Parthiban takes a personable approach to his work and enjoys developing long-term relationships with clients.

Parthiban enjoys socializing with friends and family, living an active lifestyle, keeping fit, doing sports, and traveling around New Zealand with my wife and two daughters.

Rui provides trusted technical support and leadership to his Christchurch-based team. His technical expertise means he is often called upon to provide input into nationwide technical development and standards within Kirk Roberts.

Rui’s valuable engineering design and excellence have seen him work across a variety of complex projects in a range of sectors. He has also been involved in numerous assessments of existing buildings and the subsequent strengthening and retrofit design works. Rui understands that consistent communication is crucial in creating the best outcome for project stakeholders, and collaborates with the various parties across all project phases to ensure this.

Outside of work, you’ll find Rui spending time with his young family, on his bike, or tinkering in the garage.

Ruth is based in our Christchurch Office and works as the Executive Assistant to the CEO. With over twenty years of administration experience, in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, she is well-positioned to provide the excellent support this strategic role demands.

She enjoys working with the CEO to initiate and coordinate goals to maximise efficiency across the business.  She collaborates with all departments to ensure we are best placed to achieve the overall goals of the company.

Outside of work, she loves walking, reading, and traveling.

Saxon is responsible for the day-to-day technical and managerial operations of the commercial structural department.  He is highly skilled in all aspects of structural design and analysis and has broad experience displayed primarily in the design and assessment of commercial, low to medium rise construction.

Stephanie is a Registered Architect with more than 20 years experience working on a broad range of projects from commercial, retail, healthcare and education.

Stephanie places a particular focus on the sustainable aspects of any given project and has developed knowledge in the integration of these into projects. Her skills and experience, particularly through the later developed design and documentation stages make her an essential part of our proposed design team.

Outside of work Stephanie loves trail running up in the Port Hills and around the country when travelling with family and friends.

“To me Architecture is a team effort, working together to create amazing spaces for everyone to enjoy.”

Taylor brings nine years of experience across high-end residential, commercial, and industrial projects in the South Island. He gained his chartership in 2023 and is known for his strong focus on detailing, robust load paths, and practical coordination across disciplines. He also has specialist expertise in high performing home design and fire engineering (C/AS2), helping deliver high-performing, thermally efficient structures in challenging environments.

Taylor plays an active role in the industry, currently serving as Regional Chair for Engineering New Zealand’s Central Otago Branch and Co-Chair of SESOC’s Otago Branch. Outside of work Taylor enjoys exploring the environment around Queenstown, particularly whitewater kayaking, backcountry skiing, and mountain biking.

Tyron provides practical cost-effective solutions for developers, project managers, architects and contractors. He is passionate about the innovations structural engineering provides and values relationship and trust with his clients.

He also enjoys playing his guitar and traveling.

“In a world that is constantly evolving, structural engineers are at the forefront of innovation. They are developing new materials, exploring cutting-edge technologies and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the field of structural engineering. Their work is essential for building sustainable, resilient communities.”