A snapshot of our most historic year yet

A new parent and smarter work for great clients in more places mark Pensar’s biggest year yet.

2023 has been Pensar’s most historic year to date. We’ve delivered bigger, smarter projects in more places, for clients longstanding and new alike. But perhaps our biggest news for the year was becoming part of the RSK Group – an international family of more than 200 leading environmental, engineering and technical services businesses.

Pensar became the sixth business to join RSK Australia since the local arm was established in 2021. Pensar represents the RSK Group’s largest acquisition outside the UK, strengthening RSK’s expertise in water and critical infrastructure in the region.

Joining the RSK family is a great opportunity for Pensar and our people – and a great endorsement of the business, service and reputation we’ve built since we began in Brisbane 23 years ago. The platform is set for growth and new opportunity for Pensar and our people.

Being part of the RSK family brings with it great potential for growth, collaboration with other RSK businesses and exploring bold new opportunities. RSK is a great fit for Pensar. We’re proud to be part of the group and we’re excited for the future.

New HQ
After 19 years in South Brisbane, the past 11 at Hockings Street, we were excited to recently relocate Pensar’s headquarters to 168 Robertson Street Fortitude Valley. We join RSK’s Brisbane hub alongside Binnies and Projence and look forward to welcoming additional stablemates and siblings from WPS and EDP in 2024. We’re loving the location, welcoming premises and new opportunities for connection and collaboration.

Pensar’s New Chief Operating Officer
It’s a great pleasure to announce that Patrick Newell has been appointed to the new role of Chief Operating Officer for Pensar.

Pat has been with us for 14 years – since his early days as a graduate engineer. He has worked as site engineer, project manager and headed up our water division since 2013 and formally became a Director in 2018. Pat now has the mandate and challenge to further unite and progress Pensar’s distinct divisions and functions of water, structures, power, specialist infrastructure, rehabilitation and regional/offshore – each successful in its own right – as one coherent entity with one clear vision.

Pat is a great demonstration of the Pensar work culture, and the perfect person to have in this new role. Pensar has always supported the opportunity to promote rather than recruit, building our own leadership from within. Pat has played an important role in the growth of Pensar and it has been a privilege to see his capabilities and career develop with us. In the new role of COO, he will continue to set a great example for our many amazing young staff – those who will lead Pensar into the future.

Turning on taps in Merrimac
An important recycled water initiative completed and commissioned this year was the Merrimac Recycled Water Treatment Plant and 12 km pipeline reticulation for the City of Gold Coast. The Merrimac project was fully designed by Pensar, demonstrating and strengthening our in-house engineering design capability.

Broadening horizons
Our New South Wales office has gone from strength to strength in 2023, thanks to a growing and energetic young team under the determined leadership of Kris Saunders. Based in Newcastle, the office has grown from 6 people to more than 20 over the past year. Pensar NSW has built a tight-knit and collaborative work culture and a very successful approach to business. The NSW team is committed to winning business, delivering innovative solutions, supporting local talent and building rewarding relationships for great clients – like Hunter Water Corporation, which continues to provide a growing stream of projects.

Pensar has developed a substantial maintenance capability in recent years, drawing on both traditional expertise and technological innovation for sustaining critical infrastructure. These typically smaller scale, shorter timeframe works provide a valuable training ground for staff as well as a valuable introduction to new clients and regions.

Pensar received 3 ACRA Excellence Awards for its remediation works in 2023 – the Marine Award for our South Bank Parklands Promenade Remediation Works and the Bridges Award and Remedial Industry Excellence Award for our Tasmanian Government Department of State Growth bridge strengthening program. The Tasmanian bridge strengthening works utilised electrochemical realkalisation treatment – for the first time in Tasmania – to stabilise the concrete structures.

Building on the strength of our work in New South Wales and Tasmania, we’re keen to increase our presence in the south-east of the country and explore opportunities in regional Victoria in 2024.

Building capability
Pensar designed and constructed the wastewater infrastructure for the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI) in Shoalwater Bay. The system was designed to negotiate large buffering capacities and long stand-down periods in a sensitive environment. Building on the success of the wastewater treatment plant, the complex, site-specific project grew to also encompass a water treatment plant, effectively doubling the scale and value of the project. It’s another great example of Pensar evolving to meet the growing demands of a client and project. Impressively, the regional project was delivered by the same Pensar team throughout the 18 month programme. The ASMTI project picked up one of our highest accolades – the Pensar Project of the Year, as voted by our team!

Building on the success of our growing scope of works and ongoing relationship with Ravenswood Gold, we are exploring new opportunities in the mining sector. New opportunities now also exist through synergies with other RSK businesses. Pensar’s ongoing work at Ravenswood Gold is now in its fourth year.

Pensar has been awarded a number of increasingly complex, large scale electrical projects, including the $16 million electrical works at Eungella Dam for Sunwater – our largest electrical project and largest commission for Sunwater to date.

Pensar welcomes RSK CEO Alan Ryder
We were delighted to welcome RSK founder and CEO Alan Ryder to Brisbane and Pensar in November. He was joined by Sarah Mogford and David Taylor. They toured the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme and were impressed with the vision of the project and eager to understand the nuts and bolts behind the scheme. They met the local growers and our joint venture partners – Piñata Farms and Twin View Turf – learning how the recycled water irrigation project will benefit the local community, agribusiness and environment.

Visiting Timor-Leste with WaterAid
Myself and Patrick Newell had the privilege of visiting Timor-Leste in August as part of a WaterAid Australia initiative to improve water infrastructure and local capability.  Pensar is proud to be a silver member of WaterAid, which seeks to improve water supply and sanitation in developing nations.

Pat said the Timor-Leste trip was an insightful and valuable experience. ‘It’s humbling to compare the water and wastewater infrastructure of one of our nearest neighbours with the high standards and quality of life we enjoy in Australia. It is also a great reminder of the vital importance of the work we do at Pensar.’

My heartfelt thanks and congratulations to everyone who has worked with Pensar in 2023 – and over the past 23 years. I look forward to collaborating on more innovative infrastructure with you all in 2024.

Wishing you a safe and happy Christmas and new year.

Karl Yunker
Managing Director