Fire Protection

Russell has forty (40 ) years Industry experience associated with Building Services, with over thirty (30) of which has been with the A.G. Coombs Group, including various roles in Site and Project Management followed by six (6) years as the General Manager of the Projects business and the past twenty (20) years as the Managing Director of the A.G. Coombs Group of Companies.

Focusing on the areas of Advisory, Projects, Service and Technical Management the A.G. Coombs Group is a leader in the provision of “whole of life” building services – from design, install and commission through to ongoing advice, service, maintenance and operation for all the systems that bring buildings to life, including air conditioning, ventilation, fire protection, electrical power, lighting and building technologies.

Russell is the immediate past AMCA National President as well as the Chairman of the Victorian and National AMCA Training, Learning & Development Committees and the BIM-MEP^AUS Project Board, as well as a member of the RCCC Round Table and other Industry Committees.

Mr O’Connor is a Chartered Professional Mechanical Engineer and the Managing Director of A.G. O’Connor Pty Ltd (O’Connors). Mr O’Connor has over 30 years experience in the construction industry, and brings a disciplined and process driven approach to business, setting high standards for workmanship, quality control and safety management.

Mr O’Connor has extensive project management experience, having successfully led major projects throughout Australia and within Central America. A specialist in his field, he brings a successful track record in innovation, cooperation and value added services and remains committed to delivering the best possible out comes to his staff, his clients and all other project stakeholders.

Mr O’Connor is focused on delivering successful risk management outcomes through sound commercial practice and disciplined methodology. Open and direct, Andrew is renowned for his consistent approach, dedication to engineering excellence and ability to deliver.

Mr O’Connor holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (B.E.Mech.), Master of Business Administration (MBA), and is the current South Australian and Past National AMCA President, and Chairperson for the Specialist Contractors Association SA.

Scott Williams is the CEO of the Air Conditioning & Mechanical Contractors’ Association (AMCA). Scott joined the AMCA in August 2020 after eleven years serving as CEO of the Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA), where he successfully oversaw the execution of a national strategy while strengthening the organisation’s presence in each state jurisdiction.  Under Scott’s stewardship, the FPA established the Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS), which has become the high watermark for practitioners in the industry and a recognised point of difference for its members nationally. As a testament to its quality and standing with government, FPAS was formally recognised in NSW as the accepted evidence of competence for fire safety practitioners.

Scott is well-respected across the broader industry—including government, regulators and other industry bodies, and with his extensive mix of experience and industry knowledge, Scott aims to support members and guide the AMCA successfully into the future.

Gavin has over 35-years’ experience in the construction industry specialising in BIM and virtual design & construction. Following 25 years in the engineering consulting world, Gavin joined A.G. Coombs, initially as the National BIM / Drafting Manager for three years, and since 2018 as the Group BIM Manager. In this role Gavin manages A.G. Coombs’ Group-wide BIM strategy ranging from early design stages, through project delivery, and transition to ongoing service operations.

Passionate about driving business improvement through leveraging technology, Gavin draws upon his significant experience to develop and lead complex change-management activities through adapting to, and training in digital transformation.

Gavin brings a wealth of technological experience to the BIM-MEP^AUS Project Board and is determined to deliver innovative and practical outcomes to the industry.

Shannon Thomas is the executive manager for Australia’s National BIM-MEP^AUS Initiative run through AMCA Australia (Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors Association of Australia).

Shannon has a Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial Engineering & Engineering Management) with Honours from Monash University and completed postgraduate studies in Design Science (Building Services) from the University of Sydney. He also sits on the Australasian BIM Advisory Board Technical Group (ABAB TG).

With wide ranging professional experience in a number of roles within the automotive industry, Shannon has a particular interest in using his knowledge in HVAC Design, Project Engineering, Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma and Lean Principals to help guide the implementation and successful adoption of the national BIM-MEP^AUS Initiative within the Construction industry’s exciting and evolving Digital Engineering and BIM space.

With the greatest of sadness and the fondest of memories, AMCA Australia and BIM-MEP^AUS advise of the passing of Warwick Stannus on 24 April 2022. 

AMCA Australia News – Article

Mr Stannus was the A.G. Coombs Group Engineering Manager and had responsibilities for technical capability development across the group’s whole of life built environment design, construction, service and technical management services. This included the development of the firm’s leading edge building information modelling, digital construction and analytics capabilities to better support its whole of life service offerings.

In addition to the Group Engineering Role, Mr Stannus also provided specialist advisory services to building owners and managers that included ICA and commissioning management, building services asset and service management, safety-in-design and statutory compliance.

Mr Stannus was the Technical Director for the BIM-MEP^AUS initiative and played a key role in the development of the industry based technical BIM MEP standards and workflows that continue to help owners, designers, constructors and suppliers to implement and leverage BIM and digital strategies for competitive advantage.