06 May 2021 – International engineering, design and advisory company Aurecon has appointed Simon Mezger, an eminent advisor to electricity, water and gas utility leaders on the optimisation of businesses and assets through the energy transition.

Simon brings 25 years’ experience of the challenge Australia’s utilities face to maintain the integrity of essential services infrastructure against the backdrop of energy democratisation, changing technologies, increasingly tighter regulation, risk management and changing social values as part of the transition to net zero emissions.

Aurecon Managing Director Energy, Resources and Water Paul Gleeson welcomed Simon and credited his advisory expertise as a valuable asset to support clients' executive leadership decision making as regulators continue to test both the effectiveness and efficiency of infrastructure expenditure.

“Navigating the risk of increased costs being passed on to energy customers or the possibility of essential services infrastructure owners not being able to justify their capital programs of work is critical in achieving a just energy and emissions transition for both communities and the economy,” Mr Gleeson said.

“The better outcomes achieved from an integrated approach of strategic, commercial, environmental and stakeholder advice that Simon brings together with technical, complex design and management of generation and network infrastructure (including the retirement or re-purposing of legacy assets) is being recognised by Aurecon’s clients.”

Simon said he joined Aurecon, a market leader in the utilities sector, to leverage Aurecon’s major water sector partnerships in Australia, including the central design and implementation of major capital and reform programs of work at WaterNSW, Sydney Water, Urban Utilities, Yarra Valley Water and SA Water, to establish similar programs for electricity and gas utilities.

“These are challenging times for the utilities sector. However, the opportunity to continue to advise clients on adapting their entire business, operating models and asset base to an environment that is more complex to manage with higher stakeholder and regulatory obligations, all while making a satisfactory commercial return, is a privilege,” Mr Mezger said.

Simon has a strong history advising organisations on their growth strategy, organisational transformation, mergers and acquisitions and customer experience and prior to his most recent role as Head of Strategy and Growth at GreenSync, a renewable energy software company, held senior leadership roles at Accenture, PwC and AT Kearney.