Skip to main content

Our Alumni

Meet our Alumni & Students

As a CPEE Alumni member you are part of a distinguished community that continues to achieve success in Australia and worldwide. We are currently collecting profiles of CPEE Alumni members.

Masters of Pavement Technology

Graduate Certificate in Asset Management

Andrew Bethune

Global Operations Director Mobility - Arcadis.

Meet another CPEE Master - Andrew Bethune, Global Operations Director Mobility - Arcadis.

Andrew told us he agonised over several years in contemplating undertaking the Master of Pavements, the additional effort and challenge especially with a busy day job. Once he made the call, it was one of the best decisions and most fulfilling experiences of addressing knowledge gaps, challenging thinking, but best of all it was material from his industry, and delivered by industry experts, so very relevant to his profession.

He said CPEE is unique, how many higher education courses address this. It helped build on his technical confidence, forced him to think about engineering fundamentals again, and has made him a better problem solver.

Thank you, Andrew. You are a true legend in our industry and we are delighted you are part of the CPEE family as an Alumni.

Andrew Howard

Technical Director Pavements - GHD
Andrew Howard, Technical Director Pavements - GHD Andrew told us the CPEE Masters program provided the technical grounding he needed to escalate his career in the payments industry. Units are aligned with current industry practice and delivered by experts in their field. Thank you, Andrew, we are delighted you found the course beneficial for your career!

Andrew Papacostas 

Principal Engineer - Pavements & Material - Department of Transport and Planning.

Meet one of our Original CPEE Masters - Andrew Papacostas, currently in the role of Principal Engineer - Pavements & Material - Department of Transport and Planning.

Andrew told us his educational journey in Roads and Pavements has been a remarkable experience. He has been able to enhance his understanding and skills in the field through completing the CPEE Master of Pavement Technology. He was able to learn from industry leaders in the area of road design, construction, material selection, maintenance, rehabilitation, and more.

He said he was able to gain valuable insights into the principles and practices of Roads and Pavements. Andrew said his knowledge has been invaluable to his career as Principal Engineer - Pavements & Material at the Department of Transport and Planning in Victoria.

Thank you, Andrew. We’re delighted to see how your commitment to your education has greatly benefited your career

Ali Ataee

Development Engineer - The City of Salisbury

We are delighted to introduce you to Ali Ataee, one of our recent Alumni from CPEE Graduate Certificate Asset Management. Managers, including Ali, the Development Engineer at the City of Salisbury, frequently recommend their staff for CPEE training. This highlights their confidence in their team’s growth potential and emphasises a commitment to professional development and organisational excellence. Two subjects in particular were considerably beneficial to Ali - Road Asset Management and Project Management. Ali commented that “these subjects significantly improved my decision-making abilities and helped me in my current role.” Ali said that “After completing the course, we considerably improved our asset management systems, including asset condition and other related processes.”

“After completing the course, we considerably improved our asset management systems, including asset condition and other related processes.”
Since the course, Ali said that he learnt to “stay confident, learn from past decisions, consider the consequence and asset management is a journey, not a destination.” Wise words, Ali, and congratulations!

Nicole Benson

Director Technical Services - Warrumbungle Shire Council 

Meet Nicole Benson one of our 2023 Alumni from CPEE Graduate Certificate in Asset Management.
Nicole heard about the course from an IPWEA course that other staff at work were participating in. “Asset Management was the last piece in the puzzle for me. It was about the only gap I needed to fill before applying for Executive roles in Local Government.“Nicole said the CPEE program was easy to follow and the program had great support from lecturers and others participating in the course. I also made some good local government contacts.

The course provided me;“sound knowledge of Asset Management and its application, particularly in local government and within the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework”

Nicole’s current role is Director Technical Services - Warrumbungle Shire Council and she said the course was valuable as much of the content is applied on a regular basis.

“Sound knowledge of Asset Management and its application, particularly in local government and within the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework”

Huge thanks to our CPEE Unit Chairs and lecturers who provided quality, flexible and engaging industry training. Dr Jo Devine, Jacqui Hansen, Dr Allen T., John Truman, Vicki Shelton

Rob Fisher

Engineering Manager - Temora Shire Council.
Rob is the Engineering Manager for Temora Shire Council. Rob was one of our first successful students graduating last year 2023 for the CPEE Graduate Certificate in Asset Management. Rob first attended a short course in Asset Management delivered by CPEE in partnership with IPWEA. After benefiting from this initial course, he decided to further his knowledge by enrolling in additional study units. This commitment allowed him to complete his CPEE Graduate Certificate. Rob said, “At a time where many Local Government organisations are under significant financial pressure and the local communities we serve are more complex than ever, it has become of utmost importance that Councils understand in detail the significant infrastructure assets they own and operate to deliver community services.”
“I found the GCAM program to be extremely beneficial in broadening my general asset management knowledge in a way that is very relevant to my day-to-day work as an infrastructure manager in Local Government.”
The Graduate Certificate in Asset Management (GCAM) offered by CPEE provides in-depth asset management learning in a way that is practical, relevant, and applicable to government organisations. Rob commented, “I found the GCAM program to be extremely beneficial in broadening my general asset management knowledge in a way that is very relevant to my day-to-day work as an infrastructure manager in Local Government.” Congratulations, Rob!

Asmita Shrestha

Senior Asset Engineer - Ipswich City Council
Asmita Shrestha is Senior Asset Engineer at the Ipswich City Council leading the management of structural assets. She was one of our first successful students graduating last year 2023 for the CPEE Graduate Certificate in Asset Management. Being a civil engineer working in the asset management section, Asmita said she was looking for a course to broaden her skill in asset management, and the units under the graduate certificate in asset management from CPEE seemed more promising for this. Asmita said that it has helped her understand the Asset Management principles and best practices and gain skills in sustainable asset management and the importance of risk management, stakeholder engagement, and finance management for effective and sustainable asset management. It is fantastic to hear that it enhanced her confidence in her role as an asset engineer and become a valuable team player and has led to increased responsibilities and opportunities within the organisation.
Asmita said it was highly engaging and related to real examples and focused on industry-specific case studies. The material was relevant and practical, and she enjoyed learning which she can actually apply and relate to her day-to-day work. Congratulations Asmita!