Richard Croad
Director Service Excellence

Richard was appointed Director, Service Excellence, in 2011 in this role he is responsible for the governance and development of Opus’ capability and systems in technical and innovation, project management and client relationship management.  Richard has been part of Opus and its predecessor, the Ministry of Works and Development, for his whole career.  Prior to his current role, Richard undertook a six month assignment in assisting in the integration of a recently acquired company based in British Columbia, Canada.  Before his Canadian assignment, Richard was Divisional Manager responsible for Opus’ national operations in environmental engineering, planning and science services, and for the five year prior was Manager Civil Engineering as part of Opus’ Wellington Region operations.  Between 1995 and 2000, Richard was a Commercial Manager as part of Opus’ International Division responsible for overseas projects, business development, and foreign exchange management.

Overall, Richard has more than 30 years of experience in civil engineering and management.  He also has developed considerable experience in business and organisational review and process assessment.  Richard is a recognised national specialist in coastal engineering, and international specialist in water resource management, disaster risk management and climate change adaptation in developing countries in the Pacific.

Richard holds an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Engineering from Auckland University.  He is a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, and is registered as a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) in New Zealand.