Managing Wellington's Building Services was an unanticipated career move for Stefan, but one he has gladly taken on with the challenge to try new things - and he has not looked back.
Originally from Switzerland, Stefan previously worked as a project manager for his father's engineering firm, as well as several years as an HVAC engineer for Arup in London. His New Zealand-born wife brought him to Wellington in 2007 where he joined Beca as a Senior Mechanical Engineer.
As section manager he looks after a team of building services engineers, which has changed his day to day focus from being mostly project driven to more people driven. He has been pleasantly surprised at the level of enjoyment this new role gives him. "The good thing about Beca is that we can take support from the wider Beca group but we have a certain amount of independence as well, which enables us to try new things and focus on what we see as important for the section."
Stefan is still involved on the technical side, working as the Job Director for a number of projects, as well as recent involvement on the BNZ Headquarters on Wellington's waterfront. He embraces the technical challenges of developing concepts with ESD in mind and really enjoys working with a great team. In fact, Stefan believes that people's enthusiasm and passion for what they do plays a key role in Beca's strength as a company. "Although experience and skills provide the technical expertise clients look for, it is the passionate teamwork, both professionally and on a social level that often stands out."