PETER DAMEN
Principal Consultant & Managing Director
Peter Damen is the Principal and Managing Director of Level 5 Design Pty Ltd. Peter is responsible for leading all activities of the company from strategy through planning, design and implementation. He believes that innovation is the key to Australia’s future – in making better investment decisions and accomplishing more for the community.
Peter is considered a national and international expert in emerging transport technologies, automated vehicles, parking and traffic management, road safety, sustainable materials, civil engineering and infrastructure planning and delivery. He is a qualified civil engineer with over 30 years' experience in the industry including both government and the private sector. He has been involved in some of Australia’s largest transport infrastructure projects and he has an industry network that extends across the globe.
Peter has chaired or participated in numerous industry associations, state advisory committees, accreditation panels, and learned societies and amongst other roles he is currently a Director of Innovate Australia.
Prior to establishing Level5Design, Peter was the Chief Operating Officer of Australia's national road and transport research agency, where he was responsible for all operations nationally including programs such as the National Road Safety Partnership Program and the National Assets Centre of Excellence. Peter was also instrumental in establishing the Australia and New Zealand Driverless Vehicle Initiative (ADVI), to address the challenges and future requirements of emerging connected and automated vehicle technologies in Australia and NZ. He went on to become the inaugural Chair of that national peak body.
Peter is considered a national and international expert in emerging transport technologies, automated vehicles, parking and traffic management, road safety, sustainable materials, civil engineering and infrastructure planning and delivery. He is a qualified civil engineer with over 30 years' experience in the industry including both government and the private sector. He has been involved in some of Australia’s largest transport infrastructure projects and he has an industry network that extends across the globe.
Peter has chaired or participated in numerous industry associations, state advisory committees, accreditation panels, and learned societies and amongst other roles he is currently a Director of Innovate Australia.
Prior to establishing Level5Design, Peter was the Chief Operating Officer of Australia's national road and transport research agency, where he was responsible for all operations nationally including programs such as the National Road Safety Partnership Program and the National Assets Centre of Excellence. Peter was also instrumental in establishing the Australia and New Zealand Driverless Vehicle Initiative (ADVI), to address the challenges and future requirements of emerging connected and automated vehicle technologies in Australia and NZ. He went on to become the inaugural Chair of that national peak body.
Participating in Driverless Vehicle Forum in New South Wales
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Welcoming guests to the 2nd International Driverless Vehicle Summit in Adelaide
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Participating in the EU Truck Platooning Challenge in Rotterdam
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CARLOS RIAL
Principal Consultant & CEO (East Coast)
Carlos Rial is the East Coast Principal and CEO of Level 5 Design Pty Ltd. Carlos is responsible for leading all activities of the company on the East Coast of Australia.
A broadly experienced senior organisational leader who has demonstrated the ability to work with strong governance, lead diverse teams of professionals to new levels of success across both public and private sectors. A recognised industry leader with strong technical and business qualifications and an impressive track record of hands-on experience in managing engineering teams, strategic planning, business unit development and program management.
Carlos is considered a national roads industry leader, as shown in his most recent roles as the CEO of the Australian Flexible Pavements Association, Regional Manager (Qld / NT) for the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and a former State Government Transport and Roads Director.
Carlos has a proven ability to successfully analyse an organisation's critical business requirements, identify deficiencies and potential opportunities, and develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for enhancing competitiveness, increasing revenues, and improving customer service offerings.
Carlos has been a key driver of roads engineering innovation having led the Queensland Local Roads Alliance, the Transport and Main Roads Research Program (NACOE), and been a key partner to Austroads, SPARC and others.
A strong partner to local government, Carlos has previously led a $5 billion program between State and local government that drove enhanced road safety, asset management and roads engineering practice.
A broadly experienced senior organisational leader who has demonstrated the ability to work with strong governance, lead diverse teams of professionals to new levels of success across both public and private sectors. A recognised industry leader with strong technical and business qualifications and an impressive track record of hands-on experience in managing engineering teams, strategic planning, business unit development and program management.
Carlos is considered a national roads industry leader, as shown in his most recent roles as the CEO of the Australian Flexible Pavements Association, Regional Manager (Qld / NT) for the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and a former State Government Transport and Roads Director.
Carlos has a proven ability to successfully analyse an organisation's critical business requirements, identify deficiencies and potential opportunities, and develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for enhancing competitiveness, increasing revenues, and improving customer service offerings.
Carlos has been a key driver of roads engineering innovation having led the Queensland Local Roads Alliance, the Transport and Main Roads Research Program (NACOE), and been a key partner to Austroads, SPARC and others.
A strong partner to local government, Carlos has previously led a $5 billion program between State and local government that drove enhanced road safety, asset management and roads engineering practice.
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LARRY SCHNEIDER
Principal Consultant
Larry is a national expert and adviser in parking management with over 30 years’ experience in the industry. He has worked both as a Director of one of the nation’s leading parking operators and equipment suppliers, and as a senior consultant to industry on parking for airports, city centres, hospitals, shopping areas, universities, commercial buildings and office precincts for many of Australia’s largest property owners. Larry was one of the primary authors of the latest 2017 edition of the Austroads national guide to traffic management specific to parking.
Larry was previously the Manager of Luxmoore Parking, the President of Parking Australia for 6 years, and a Director of that same association for a further 16 years. While the President of Parking Australia, Larry was instrumental in taking that industry body from strength to strength including leading the rebranding to Parking Australia and raising the policy development and profile of it as a national body.
Larry has wide ranging expertise that includes the development of effective parking strategies, project management of new parking technologies and facility operations, and the investigation of better approaches to wayfinding signage, security, audit and compliance. Larry has reviewed and prepared parking strategies and policies for many state government departments and more than 40 local government authorities in Australia and New Zealand.
Up until March 2018, Larry was the Agreement Manager of the Western Australian Road Research and Innovation Program, a multimillion-dollar research program funded by the WA Government, focused on innovative practices and technologies that provide efficiency gains and reduce overall capital and recurrent costs.
Larry believes strongly in sustainable parking practices, education, and in the value of technology. He has facilitated many award-winning workshops in parking operations and management. He holds degrees in Commerce, Arts and Law.
Larry was previously the Manager of Luxmoore Parking, the President of Parking Australia for 6 years, and a Director of that same association for a further 16 years. While the President of Parking Australia, Larry was instrumental in taking that industry body from strength to strength including leading the rebranding to Parking Australia and raising the policy development and profile of it as a national body.
Larry has wide ranging expertise that includes the development of effective parking strategies, project management of new parking technologies and facility operations, and the investigation of better approaches to wayfinding signage, security, audit and compliance. Larry has reviewed and prepared parking strategies and policies for many state government departments and more than 40 local government authorities in Australia and New Zealand.
Up until March 2018, Larry was the Agreement Manager of the Western Australian Road Research and Innovation Program, a multimillion-dollar research program funded by the WA Government, focused on innovative practices and technologies that provide efficiency gains and reduce overall capital and recurrent costs.
Larry believes strongly in sustainable parking practices, education, and in the value of technology. He has facilitated many award-winning workshops in parking operations and management. He holds degrees in Commerce, Arts and Law.
Meeting in Doha in the process of developing the Parking Strategy for the Qatar Transport Masterplan
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Establishing a Parking Operations business in Shanghai, China
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After serving as President of Parking Australia for more than 5 years, Larry receives a Life Membership Award
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NORBERT MICHEL
Principal Consultant
Norbert is considered a national and international expert in asset management systems, materials engineering, pavement data collection, sustainable network funding requirements and network needs analyses. He is a civil engineer with over 20 years' experience and has been involved in delivering projects to state and local government across Australia.
Norbert also possesses significant board, governance, and company management experience through various roles on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) Victoria (current President) and IPWEA Australasia as the Victorian representative.
Norbert’s experience is extensive and diverse having also worked in senior roles for the national road and transport research agency for over 17 years, undertaking and effectively managing software development projects, coordinating high level research and consulting projects and managing successful programs of work across the transport infrastructure sector.
Norbert also possesses significant board, governance, and company management experience through various roles on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) Victoria (current President) and IPWEA Australasia as the Victorian representative.
Norbert’s experience is extensive and diverse having also worked in senior roles for the national road and transport research agency for over 17 years, undertaking and effectively managing software development projects, coordinating high level research and consulting projects and managing successful programs of work across the transport infrastructure sector.
DREW GAYNOR
Principal Consultant
Drew Gaynor has twenty-five years’ experience in the transport sector covering all modes of transport (road, rail, inter-modal, ports and airports/aviation). He is well known and respected for his expertise in transport matters.
He held Director positions sequentially in Aviation Policy, Transport Security and Freight and Logistics at the WA Department of Transport and then undertook strategic policy and planning projects in the Heavy Vehicle Services and Network Operations divisions of Main Roads WA. Drew then moved to ARRB as their Principal Consultant for Freight and Transport Systems before taking up a position at Perth Airport working on its Master Plan and freight related matters. More recently Drew has worked with Level 5 Design as part of its team and has been the Project Leader on several Austroads road freight and heavy vehicle research projects.
Drew can effectively communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders and steer diverse groups to collaborative objectives ensuring successful outcomes. His network of public and private stakeholders is extensive in Commonwealth/State transport agencies, Local Government, individual transport companies and transport industry groups.
He held Director positions sequentially in Aviation Policy, Transport Security and Freight and Logistics at the WA Department of Transport and then undertook strategic policy and planning projects in the Heavy Vehicle Services and Network Operations divisions of Main Roads WA. Drew then moved to ARRB as their Principal Consultant for Freight and Transport Systems before taking up a position at Perth Airport working on its Master Plan and freight related matters. More recently Drew has worked with Level 5 Design as part of its team and has been the Project Leader on several Austroads road freight and heavy vehicle research projects.
Drew can effectively communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders and steer diverse groups to collaborative objectives ensuring successful outcomes. His network of public and private stakeholders is extensive in Commonwealth/State transport agencies, Local Government, individual transport companies and transport industry groups.
GEOFF COCKS
Principal Consultant
Geoff is a Geotechnical Engineer with more than 45 years’ professional experience. A graduate in Civil Engineering from the University of Western Australia in 1971, Geoff then completed a Master of Science in Civil Engineering at Purdue University, Indiana, in 1975. From 1971 to 1989 he was employed by the Main Roads Department of Western Australia, initially as a construction and design engineer, progressing to the position of Head of the Materials Engineering Branch. In 1989 Geoff joined Coffey and progressed to be a Senior Principal. Since 2019 Geoff has provided specialist expertise to Level5Design.
His specialist knowledge is in soft soil ground improvement, construction issues, use of natural materials for low-cost road pavements and forensic investigations. Geoff has been a driving force in developing design standards for WA pavements since 1979. He has also contributed to pavement research nationally through involvement in Austroads projects over many years. Geoff was also a founding member of the WA Pavements Group of the Australian Geomechanics Society (AGS). Throughout his career, Geoff has been an active member of the AGS WA Chapter and in 1987 held the role of Chapter Chair.
Geoff has contributed over 30 publications on a wide range of geotechnical subjects. He has developed and published the design method used for soakage basins in WA. Geoff and co-authors published the paper, “The use of naturally occurring materials for pavements in Western Australia”, that was selected as the Australian Geomechanics Award for best paper in 2015.
In 2020 Geoff was honoured as the AGO Practitioner of the Year. The award recognises contributions of the highest order over an extended period with a commitment to the geotechnical profession in Australia and the Australian Geomechanics Society.
His specialist knowledge is in soft soil ground improvement, construction issues, use of natural materials for low-cost road pavements and forensic investigations. Geoff has been a driving force in developing design standards for WA pavements since 1979. He has also contributed to pavement research nationally through involvement in Austroads projects over many years. Geoff was also a founding member of the WA Pavements Group of the Australian Geomechanics Society (AGS). Throughout his career, Geoff has been an active member of the AGS WA Chapter and in 1987 held the role of Chapter Chair.
Geoff has contributed over 30 publications on a wide range of geotechnical subjects. He has developed and published the design method used for soakage basins in WA. Geoff and co-authors published the paper, “The use of naturally occurring materials for pavements in Western Australia”, that was selected as the Australian Geomechanics Award for best paper in 2015.
In 2020 Geoff was honoured as the AGO Practitioner of the Year. The award recognises contributions of the highest order over an extended period with a commitment to the geotechnical profession in Australia and the Australian Geomechanics Society.