Putting Papua New Guineans into key roles will be a priority for Andrew Cooper, recently appointed to head the PNG operations of international consultancy group, Cardno.

Cardno’s Andrew Cooper

Andrew Cooper is not new to PNG. Until 2012, he was General Manager and Country Director for UMW Niugini Limited, an industrial enterprise with interests in engineering, oil and gas, manufacturing and heavy equipment.

During his time there, the company’s revenue grew tenfold and staff numbers rose from 170 to more than 400.

Cooper says a key focus during his time at UMW was moving away from the employment of costly expatriates and promoting Papua New Guineans into important positions.

‘My whole focus is to do what we can to build this nation, to help nationalise key roles, to help PNG-based businesses stand on their own two feet,’ he says.

Commercial and social benefits

‘You know the commercial benefit to the UMW was significant. But, more importantly, we had PNG nationals who were in management positions, making crucial decisions for that business. There’s no reason why we can’t do that again here at Cardno,’ Cooper says.

Cardno’s business in PNG is extremely diverse, ranging from running critical components of international aid programs to providing technical expertise and project management skills for infrastructure projects.

‘It’s a wide brief,’ Cooper observes. ‘On the social side, that includes the Law and Justice Programme for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) and community development programmes, to physical infrastructure, such as the management of water systems, electrical power stations and designs for ports and road systems.

‘For instance, we’re very heavily involved currently in helping to reconfigure the National Capital District’s roads system.’

Cross-selling expertise

Cooper says he wants to ‘cross-sell’ the company’s expertise.

‘For example, if we’re looking at the development of a port, we have environmental people who can come in and put in place simulation models and so we can understand what the impacts are on the environment.

‘We have civil engineers that can work on the design.

‘We have people on the social infrastructure side where we can understand and assist with the management of local landowners and addressing social needs that may be arise out of a major project.”

He cites a violence against women project Cardo is running for Barrick Gold as an example.

‘My focus is very much about bringing people together, bringing our business units together so that we can really help to build capacity in this country.’

Aid projects need private skills

A significant portion of Cardno’s business in PNG has been based on managing Australian aid-funded projects on behalf of DFAT.

Despite the Australian aid program’s reintegration into DFAT, Cooper predicts a continued role for the private sector in delivering aid.

‘The message from Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is loud and clear—”we will continue to provide aid in the region, and we will be holding people to account”.

‘We will see more likely an increase in private sector involvement—contractor involvement—because you know we’re the ones that provide the management. We’re the ones that are out there on the ground, and aid donors need that partnership to be close, and make sure the taxpayers’ money is spent effectively.”