The Asset Management Council’s CEO, Dr Anne Gibbs FIEAust EngExec, was recently featured in Engineers Australia’s Magazine Create Digital, where she shared insights from her international humanitarian engineering work — including with the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and organisations such as RedR Australia, UNDP and the UNHCR.
Anne’s on-the-ground experience in disaster-affected regions like Nias Island (Indonesia), refugee camps in Tanzania and post-conflict East Timor highlights a critical lesson:
Technical excellence alone does not ensure infrastructure resilience.
Long-term value, sustainability, and risk mitigation are only possible when engineering solutions are:
✅ Context-sensitive
✅ Culturally informed
✅ Co-designed with local communities
✅ Managed with whole-of-life strategies
This is exactly the systems thinking approach we advocate at the Asset Management Council. With 80% of an asset’s cost incurred during operation and maintenance, decisions made at the planning and design stage must prioritise lifecycle integration, risk reduction, and adaptability — particularly in the face of climate change and evolving community needs.
Anne contributes to national and global conversations around asset management, disaster resilience, and sustainable infrastructure development.
🔗 Read the full article: https://createdigital.org.au/local-insight-enables-stronger-infrastructure/
