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Andrew McRae

General Manager

Andrew McRae General Manager

Andrew first worked for Higgins in the 1990s. In 2023 he returned to the Green Team as General Manager.

He has an extensive career in roading and construction, having spent the past 30 years with tier one contractors in New Zealand and Australia. He has wide experience leading substantial projects including Tauranga Eastern Link, the largest project of its kind at the time and the SH1 Northern Gateway Toll Road. Ten years ago, he moved to Australia where he led the Sapphire to Woolgoolga section of the Pacific Highway and the Foxground to Berry bypass on the Princes Highway before moving into a state-wide General Manager role.

Andrew is known as a level-headed and collaborative leader who empowers his teams to succeed.

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Damon Norden

Head of Maintenance

Damon Norden Head of Maintenance

Damon is civil engineer with 25 years’ experience in infrastructure maintenance and construction services.

He’s been with Higgins since 2022, following two decades with multiple tier one contractors. He has experience across operational delivery, manufacturing and driving strategic business growth in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji.

Damon is known as a collaborative, outcomes-focused leader. He’s built a strong track record in delivery thanks to his strong people values and focus on systems and processes.

In his spare time, Damon enjoys cycling, boating, fishing and spending time with family. He is the Chairperson of the College Rifles Rugby Football Club and the Sacred Heart College Cycling club.

He has a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), NZCE (Civil), a Diploma of Management and a Diploma of Highway Engineering.

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Sean Dowling

Head of Operations Support

Sean Dowling Head of Operations Support

Sean has held several senior management positions within Higgins since he joined the company in 2016.

Sean has 30 years’ construction experience, with more than 20 of those working in leadership roles. He has experience delivering large and complex infrastructure and roading projects as well as regional and branch contracting management.

He puts his success down to his no-nonsense yet compassionate approach to leading teams, and always ensuring their safety and wellbeing is top priority. He is also known for his efficiency and strategic nous.

Sean is a committed family man and enjoys spending time in his new home of Hamilton with wife Fiona, and three young daughters Jessica, Bianca and Hayley.

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Michael Valente

Country Manager – Fiji

Michael Valente Country Manager – Fiji

Michael has been with Higgins since 2020 when he joined as the manager for Suva in Fiji before taking up the role as Country Manager, Fiji Higgins and Fletcher Construction.

Michael brings more than 23 years of multifaceted experience in construction, having previously owned a civil engineering company in his home country of South Africa, overseeing major road, water, and wastewater pipeline projects at multiple companies.

Based in Nadi, Michael leads a team of around 700 staff and is responsible for maintaining client relationships, sourcing new work as well as optimisation of existing projects.

He has been responsible for successfully leading new-build hotels and refurbishment and major roading projects across Fiji.

Michael holds a National Diploma in Construction Surveying from Intec College in Cape Town, South Africa.

In his spare time, Michael enjoys a bit of fishing and watching a great game of rugby.

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Greer Williams

Head of People & Performance

Greer Williams Head of People & Performance

Greer started with our parent company Fletcher Construction in 2019 as Head of Talent, Learning & Development. She moved to the Higgins team to lead People & Performance in 2022.

She is a strategic senior people leader with experience in the public, private and consulting sectors. Greer is known for her ability to transform business and people outcomes, with a keen focus on talent development, developing leadership capability and driving employee engagement. She is focused on developing and executing strategy to support the delivery of business outcomes.

Greer is a mother and stepmother, and lives in Auckland with her husband John. She loves spending quality time with family and friends, playing and watching sport, and going on adventures.

She holds a Bachelor of Business from AUT.

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Graeme Tonks

Head of New Business

Graeme Tonks Head of New Business

Graeme has been with Higgins since 2020, when he joined as Area Manager for Auckland and Northland, before moving into his Major Projects and Higgins new business role.

Graeme brings more than 30 years’ civil construction experience to Higgins. His career has predominantly focused on delivering work for Waka Kotahi and local authorities. He has been responsible for successfully leading major road civil engineering tenders and projects across New Zealand. He is known as an experienced business leader who brings a wealth of business management and development experience to Higgins.

Graeme has a NZCE (Civil) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration.

In his spare time, Graeme likes to build Lego, get into the garden, and travel.

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Aaron Croasdale

Head of Finance

Aaron Croasdale Head of Finance

Aaron joined Higgins in 2021.

He has 25 years’ experience in commercial roles across the civil construction industry in New Zealand and Australia. He is also an experienced board director.

Aaron has a Bachelor of Business Studies, is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Chartered Accountant.

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Nikki Robinson

Head of EHSQ

Nikki Robinson Head of EHSQ

Nikki joined Higgins as EHS Area Manager in 2021. Prior to this she was with Fulton Hogan for 20 years.

Nikki’s passion for EHSQ did not come from a single event or incident. It's fuelled by the engagement, growth, and success one can achieve by developing, embedding, and fostering a strong and enduring safety culture within an organisation.

Nikki has a diploma in health and safety management from New Zealand Institute of Safety Management and a diploma in occupational safety and health from Massey University.

Nikki spends her spare time with family, watching her three boys play sports, and attending concerts.

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Adam Wortman

Head of Commercial

Adam Wortman Head of Commercial

Adam has worked with Higgins since 2016, initially as senior legal counsel, before moving into the Commercial function in 2022.

He has over 16 years of experience in the construction industry including eight years working on a range of construction disputes in the UK and Europe.

In his spare time Adam enjoys fishing, golf and spending time with family and friends.

Adam has a bachelor of laws degree from the University of Otago.

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