Aurecon has appointed Frank Nelisi as digital practice leader for Greater China. Based in Hong Kong, he will report directly to Alton Chow, managing director for Greater China.

Under its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021 – 2025), China has made digital competitiveness a national priority and it is anticipated that the pace of digitalisation is set to accelerate across all sectors. As Aurecon continues to invest in digital transformation and innovation, this appointment will enable the company to better provide its clients in Greater China with innovative solutions and the digital expertise they require to negotiate a rapidly evolving market.

In his new role, Mr Nelisi will advance Aurecon’s digital engineering capabilities, as well as spearhead strategic initiatives to transform digital delivery in Greater China. He will help Aurecon’s clients to bridge the digital and physical worlds by blending the company’s cutting-edge digital offering with subject matter expertise to improve whole-of-life performance on projects.

In addition, Aurecon has appointed Krit Chandrema as senior digital manager to lead computational design. Monika Lau, lead information manager will take on the responsibility of driving digital management in the region, while Ray Cheng, building information modelling (BIM) manager will head digital modelling.

“The appointments of Frank and Krit, coupled with the changes in our senior digital leadership team are part of the continuing process of leadership renewal at Aurecon,” said Mr Chow. “We are constantly investing in our digital capabilities to deliver faster and smarter solutions that best support our clients’ business growth. I am thrilled to have Frank at the helm of our digital practice in Greater China, as his deep experience and strong track record of collaboration and innovation will be an asset to the team.”

As a digital expert with almost 20 years of practical design and construction experience in Asia Pacific, Mr Nelisi can leverage his sound understanding of global best practices, design principles and standards to deliver tailored and value-added services for clients in Greater China. Notably, he also possesses extensive experience using multiple software for developing BIM, with the support from software suppliers.

“Innovation and digital technology are closely intertwined as strategic levers for our business growth. I am excited to be part of an innovative company that is committed to being digital to the core. I look forward to working with my team and talented colleagues to help our clients navigate the challenges of digital disruption and bring better project outcomes to life,” said Mr Nelisi.

Prior to joining Aurecon, Mr Nelisi was BIM manager at Atkins China Limited (Hong Kong). He was responsible for BIM project set-ups and led BIM management that spanned multiple disciplines including civil, utilities, structural, architectural, MEP and geotechnical.

Meanwhile, Mr Chandrema brings to Aurecon over 15 years of in-depth digital experience, ranging from BIM to parametric modelling, information quality control and more. He will support the development and implementation of digital initiatives; promote best practices especially in computational design; and also collaborate with digital experts across the Aurecon network to enhance digital delivery and deepen technical expertise in Greater China.

“The future of our business will be greatly influenced by digital capabilities. We have many talented digital experts already in Aurecon, and I am keen to contribute my expertise to help position us and our clients better to seize the opportunities arising from digital disruption,” said Mr Chandrema.

Mr Chandrema joins Aurecon from Ronald Lu & Partners (Hong Kong) Limited where he was senior BIM manager and corporate BIM manager, coordinating the company’s corporate BIM management, training and adoption of standards and guidelines.

The other team members, Ms Lau and Mr Cheng have been with Aurecon since 2019 and 2012 respectively. Ms Lau has over 10 years of experience in the design and construction industry, specialising in BIM implementation, digital strategy and information management. Before joining Aurecon, she had worked at New World Construction Co Ltd and WSP Hong Kong Ltd.

Mr Cheng has more than 14 years of experience within the civil and structural engineering sector on delivering planning, detailed design, tender and construction stages work, as well as over 10 years of deep dive in BIM.