About

Technical leadership team

Donald Vaughan, Technical Director Grid and Power, and Richard Herweynen, Technical Director Water, are part of the Technical Leadership team. You will find their details here.

David Wilkey
Senior Principal, Grid & Power

David has more than 25 years’ consulting experience in electrical engineering across Australia and New Zealand, focusing on the delivery of secondary systems, power systems engineering and advisory to clients in the power sector.   

David’s expertise spans all areas of electrical engineering with a particular focus on electrical protection, power system studies and rotating electrical machines. He has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Canterbury and a Graduate Diploma in Science (Mathematics) from Massey University.

Prior to joining Entura in 2006, David held a number of consulting and technical roles in organisations including SKM Australia, SKM New Zealand, Beca and New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Ltd.

              

Paul Southcott
Senior Principal, Dams & Headworks

Paul has over 30 years of engineering experience, and has been with Entura for 23 years. During his time at the business, he has led the dams team and acted as Entura’s principal civil engineer. He is a respected dams specialist and was recognised as Tasmania’s Professional Engineer of the Year in Engineers Australia’s 2021 Engineering Excellence Awards. Paul holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) and a Master of Engineering Studies (Structural and Foundation Engineering) and is a Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Paul has contributed to many major dam and hydropower projects in Australia and abroad, including Battery of the Nation, the Tarraleah hydropower scheme, SeqWater, Sun Water, SAWater and Snowy Hydro. His expertise is a crucial part of Entura’s ongoing support for upgrade and safety works for Hydro Tasmania’s and TasWater’s extensive dams portfolios.

Paul is passionate about furthering the engineering profession through knowledge sharing, and has supported many young and emerging engineers through training and mentoring.

              

Dr Andrew Wright
Senior Principal, Renewables & Energy Storage

Andrew has more than 20 years of renewables development, and joined Entura in 2005. He has a wide range of project management and technical skills, including resource assessment, site identification, equipment selection (wind and solar), development of technical documentation and contractual agreements, design management, contract administration, operational assessments and owner’s/lender’s engineering services.

He has been involved in several high-profile renewable energy developments, such as Hydro Tasmania’s King Island and Flinders Island hybrid renewable energy systems, Mannar Wind Farm in Sri Lanka, and Tasmania’s Musselroe, Granville Harbour and Cattle Hill Wind Farm projects.

Andrew graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) in 2000, with First Class Honours. He also holds a PhD on ‘Aspects of the Aerodynamics and Operation of a Small Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine’.  Andrew has co-authored several industry papers and is committed to furthering his professional development, and that of his peers.

              

Dr Colin Terry
Senior Principal,
Water (Hydrology/
Hydraulics)

Colin has over 30 years of engineering experience, most with a water focus, and joined Entura in 2018. He is a chartered professional civil engineer with skills in water modelling, design and construction. He has worked at senior technical levels of small and large organisations, and is well-versed in many aspects of the water cycle within Australia and New Zealand.

Colin’s experience includes planning town water supplies and sources, civil design to support commercial buildings and subdivisions, and flood management. Through Entura, he has been involved in several flood management projects for councils such as Latrobe, Central Coast and Kingborough; impacts assessment for the hydrodynamics of the new Bridgewater Bridge in the River Derwent, and CFD modelling of the intake for the Tarraleah hydropower redevelopment.

He graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), with First Class Honours. Colin also holds a PhD on the three dimensional hydrodynamics of Macquarie Harbour. Both completed at the University of Tasmania.

              

Cynthia Nixon Principal Sustainability Consultant

Cynthia has more than 20 years of experience across operating, consulting and research fields in the energy and paper industries supporting sustainable development and improved environment, social and governance practices.  She has worked on hydropower, solar, battery and wind projects in Australia, Philippines, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Laos, Tonga and Malaysia.  She is particularly interested in the use of international sustainability standards to support the renewable energy transition. 

Beginning her career focused on improving environmental outcomes, Cynthia has broadened her skill set to social aspects through her PhD research on strategic communication, the law and activism.  She manages Entura’s Integrity Framework and is leading Entura’s work to improve gender equality. 

Cynthia has a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering; a Masters of Environmental Law; a PhD in Culture and Society; Graduate Diploma of Journalism, Media and Communications; and a Certificate in Research.

Ambrose Canning

Ambrose Canning
Principal Consultant, Mechanical Engineering

 Ambrose has more than 30 years’ experience working on hydropower and water infrastructure projects in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, India, Nepal, Philippines and Indonesia. 

He specialises in all aspects of hydropower development and redevelopment, upgrade and rehabilitation. He also has expertise in aspects of water infrastructure, such as dam electro-mechanical and hydro-mechanical equipment, pipelines, valves, pumps, screens, gates, valves and bulkheads.

Ambrose graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1984 with a Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in both Mechanical and Electrical. He is a member of Engineers Australia and a Chartered Professional Engineer, a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland, a member of the Institution of Engineers Papua New Guinea and Registered Engineer with the Professional Engineers Registration Board PNG, and is a member of the International Hydropower Association.

   

Praveen Kumar
Specialist Consultant, Hydraulics and Structural Engineering

Praveen has over 24 years’ experience in hydraulics and structural engineering, having worked on projects in Australia, Bhutan, Canada, India, Lao PDR, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam.

He has expertise in project identification, basin optimisation, preparation of prefeasibility studies, feasibility studies, detailed project reports, due diligence studies, tender design, document preparation and evaluation, hydraulic transient analysis, detailed design, construction planning, scheduling and coordination and supervision of construction works. He has a keen interest in optimisation of project layout, hydraulic and structural design, and construction planning and scheduling.

Praveen graduated with a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering in 1997. He went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Management and also holds a Master of Technology in Structural Engineering. In 2009, he was nominated for The Ability and Service Achievement Awards by Hydro Tasmania, in the technical excellence category. 

Pradipta Swain
Specialist Engineer, Hydropower Engineering

Pradipta is a Specialist Hydropower Engineer with more than 23 years’ experience. He has worked on projects in a number of countries, including Bhutan, South Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Phillipines, Nepal and India.

He has been involved in the design of large and small hydropower projects, including high dams, underground large caverns, vertical & inclined shafts and powerhouses equipped with turbines of various size and type. He also has extensive experience in prefeasibility and feasibility studies, detailed project reports, tenders, detailed design using relevant modelling software, construction and operation and maintenance stages.

Pradipta holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Master of Engineering in Structure. He is also a member of the Indian Society for Hydraulics.