Mark Avery – 15 Years at Robert Bird Group
When Mark Avery joined Robert Bird Group in 2011, he arrived as an experienced engineer having spent several years working on state infrastructure projects, bringing strong steel and concrete expertise to the business. At the time he joined, RBG was lean and navigating a highly competitive market. Long hours and time constrained deadlines meant teams worked together incredibly closely. Many from that early cohort have since grown their careers alongside one another. While the business has evolved and work–life balance is the norm, the collaborative and supportive culture that shaped those early years remains. Mark credits that formative period with influencing his leadership style today as he learnt how to nurture young talent in the business.
Embracing Complexity
Mark’s project work with RBG has largely focused on highly constrained sites and close interfaces with public infrastructure. One of the first projects he worked on as a Design Engineer, the Sydney International Convention Centre (ICC), required a bespoke solution with structural framing, lateral stability and seismic design. Across his project portfolio, Mark has developed a reputation for navigating complexity with clarity – balancing technical rigour with practical, buildable outcomes.
Brisbane Grammar School Project
A career highlight for Mark has been working on the Brisbane Grammar School (BGS) STEAM building. This incredible project incorporated adaptive reuse, long span roof works, a complex load path and framing, an atrium and void which required unique structural hanging, and seismic strengthening of the existing structure. The project was also in a constrained environment – positioned adjacent to one of Brisbane’s most significant trunk water mains, heavy overland rail, within the influence line of the new Cross River Rail tunnel, and around several protected fig trees.
Delivered over a three-year period, the project features a predominantly reinforced concrete structural system, incorporating foundations, floors, columns and shear walls, with post-tensioned band beams supporting learning floors. The design accommodates multi-level basements and a four-storey central incubator void, capped by a structurally steel-framed roof with transfer trusses spanning up to 32 m. Refurbishment works to the adjacent L Block included selective demolition, new structural openings, a small extension, and seismic strengthening upgrades to achieve compliance with AS 3826.
Career Development & Progression
At RBG, there is always opportunity for our engineers to work cross-country and around the globe – one such opportunity for Mark came with Wynyard Place. Now known as Brookfield Place, Mark spent seven years on the project, working as the Design Team Leader and travelling between Sydney and Brisbane. This project was also ahead of its time with the team incorporating adaptive reuse, an approach that has become more mainstream in recent years as sustainability efforts evolve.
Reflecting on taking risks and embracing new opportunities, Mark points to his decision to work on this project as particularly defining. The project engineering was wholly unique in the Australian landscape, requiring the team to engineer the transfer of the building core above a live concourse. The experience proved invaluable and set Mark up with a depth of expertise that would position his ongoing work on incredibly complex and challenging sites.
As Mark has progressed into a Principal role within the business, his focus naturally shifted from purely technical delivery to leadership, team development and client relationships. The breadth of project experiences he has had over the course of his career has positioned him to be a confident leader who brings deep expertise and capability. One of the most rewarding aspects of leadership for him is watching our graduates and junior engineers grow into confident professionals.
When reflecting on his career journey, Mark would encourage early‑career engineers to seek breadth in their experiences. He emphasises the importance of not limiting yourself to one speciality or one type of job. By exposing yourself to variety you not only can explore potential new interests but also accelerate your career progression with a wider, more developed skillset. He notes that while he has no regrets on his career, he would have liked to take up overseas opportunities earlier in his career with RBG — something he actively encourages others to pursue.
Looking Ahead
After 15 years at Robert Bird Group, Mark remains motivated by the scale and ambition of the projects ahead and the depth of our client relationships. Like many of our engineers, he shares that he continues to be excited by the calibre of the projects we work on, considered as the best in the world, and he couldn’t think of any better place to be.
Congratulations on an incredible career to-date Mark, we look forward to seeing what you achieve next.
