The FBICRC congratulates Project Director James Westcott who was recently recognised by Engineers Australia for his contribution to forwarding the sustainability agenda of the organisation. James received the prestigious Engineers Australia medal award which ‘recognises the efforts of engineers who have provided conspicuous service to Engineers Australia and our goals in a local context’ .
James was the first WA President to hold a two-year term in 2017 and 2018. During his time on the WA Division Committee, James has led the sustainability and climate change focus group, engaging with volunteer groups, members and external stakeholders, including the UWA Public Policy Institute.
James was instrumental to the design and delivery of the Engineers Australia Climate Change Challenge series of events led by the College of Leadership and Management in collaboration with the University of Western Australia (UWA) and Murdoch University. The series attracted around 1000 attendees at four webinars and two forums. Presenters included Engineers Australia’s National President Nick Fleming, CEO Bronwyn Evans and Chief Engineer Jane MacMaster, WA Chief Scientist Peter Klinken, university professors and industry leaders. The aim was to find ways of building climate change competence through the themes of design, education and leadership, in participants’ personal and professional lives.
James, along with David Rice from SENG, then led the development of the paper that was accepted for presentation at Engineers Australia’s Climate Smart Engineering Conference (CSE) this year. This body of work was an extraordinary effort to assimilate a number of inputs and ideas, culminating in a comprehensive paper and presentation on “Engineering leadership as the climate changes” at CSE, endorsed by the WA Division Committee.