Oliver orchestrates ArchTam’s efforts to mobilise behind Defence priorities, supports our Defence team to find, win and deliver impactful projects, and plays a key role in serving a diverse and complex client base. He supports every Defence branch across ArchTam’s full-service offering, from environmental and program management services to engineering consultancy. With more than 18 years of experience across the Defence, engineering and infrastructure sectors, Oliver brings a unique blend of operational discipline, strategic insight and delivery capability.

Looking back on your career and time at ArchTam, what pivotal moment or experience affirmed your purpose or your values? Something that made you stop and think, “okay, this is why I do this.”

There wasn’t one defining moment, rather, a series of meaningful connections that reaffirmed my purpose. Funnily, shortly after joining ArchTam, I updated my LinkedIn profile, and my former military colleagues encouraged me to reach out to the ArchTam UK Defence team. That led to conversations and before I knew it, I was in the heart of something special, supporting major global projects and collaborating across Australia, the UK, and the U.S. on AUKUS.

Tell us a little bit more about your career journey. You just touched on the British Army.

My career journey is marked by diverse and enriching experiences, beginning with a master’s degree in naval architecture at Southampton University. I then embarked on an unexpected adventure in Turkey, contributing to the construction of the Maltese Falcon, a groundbreaking modern square rigger. This project honed my technical expertise and fuelled my passion for innovation and collaboration.

A persistent calling to serve led me to enrol at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the home of British Army Officer training. This equipped me with leadership skills and resilience.

My time in the military was both challenging and transformative, providing close support to operations and fostering a sense of purpose. Meeting my wife, Hannah, prompted a shift towards technical engineering roles, which eventually led me to Perth, Australia, where I worked on the Perth Children’s Hospital project. After fulfilling my military service obligations, I made the move to Melbourne, where I led major bids for and managed significant, innovative projects like the Victorian Heart Hospital and Marvel Stadium, which included advanced sport facility technology integrations.

Ultimately, one rainy Melbourne day, my wife and I decided to return to Perth, aligning with our original plan and embracing new opportunities. Joining ArchTam marked the beginning of a new chapter in client service, leading our talented Defence team. I apply my diverse experiences and leadership skills to impactful projects, contributing to the company’s global values.

Tell us a little bit more about yourself outside of work.

My personal life is deeply intertwined with family, fitness and community involvement. My wife and I are a strong team, balancing our careers and parenting our three energetic children, aged 7, 8 and 9. Our shared commitment to supporting each other enables us to manage our busy lives effectively.

I’m actively involved in my children’s activities. Volunteering and coaching for Nippers, it’s chaos, but it’s fun! They’re a bit like soldiers: keep them moving, don’t let them get bored. It’s incredibly rewarding. I also coach rugby during the winter. Staying fit through daily training is a priority, to maintain my physical and mental well-being. While I enjoy kite surfing and windsurfing in sunny, windy Perth, much of my focus right now is on family-oriented activities, reserving personal hobbies for when the kids are older.

How do you see your role evolving in the next few years in this changing and evolving industry?

I see my role focusing on empowering our talented teams and unlocking opportunities across ArchTam’s global network.

The Defence team has unique capabilities, unmatched worldwide, and my aim is to facilitate the sharing of these strengths with colleagues in regions such as the UK, the Pacific, and the U.S.

This transformation is not about individual success but about supporting collective excellence and ensuring we continue to set the benchmark in consultancy.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave — in your team, in the work you deliver, or in the culture you help shape?

I aim to leave a legacy of creating a self-sufficient, empowered team. Drawing inspiration from military practices, where a second-in-command is always prepared to step up, I strive to ensure that my team operates autonomously, requiring minimal oversight. By fostering confidence and trust, my job is to enable team members to make informed decisions and deliver exceptional results.

I’m also committed to our involvement in the Veteran Employment Program, supporting veterans in their transition to civilian careers. By creating pathways for our veterans to thrive, I aim to shape a culture that values service, inclusivity and long-term impact.

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We’re spotlighting our Veterans Champion and project manager from our Buildings and Places business in the UK, Thomas Westlake, whose experience and continued contributions are helping shape how we support veterans across our organization. Their insight is helping us build a more inclusive, resilient, and supportive workplace for those transitioning from military to industry life.

Thomas Westlake is from our Project Management team in London and works predominantly in the Security and Resilience sector. He has been with ArchTam since 2023, following a career in the British Armed Forces. Thomas works on projects across government, public sector, defense, and disaster management, coordinating with a wide range of stakeholders and teams. His projects have been across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

After serving in the British Army for eight years, I was eager to find a career where I could apply the skills I had developed and continue doing work that made a real difference. A friend who was working at ArchTam at the time introduced me to the company. What stood out was the scale of the projects, the global footprint, and the opportunity to contribute to work with real-world impact, particularly in areas like infrastructure, security, and resilience. Project management felt like a natural transition from the armed forces, and ArchTam offered the structure and opportunities to grow in that space. My role within the defence and government sectors allows me to contribute to meaningful projects in the UK and overseas. It’s rewarding to be part of efforts that help safeguard communities and protect national interests while supporting international efforts to foster resilience and enhance security.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

One of my most fulfilling projects was delivering a resilience assessment of six emergency shelters in the Turks and Caicos Islands. These shelters are crucial during hurricane season, providing protection to local communities when extreme weather hits. I led the assessment on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), working closely with some outstanding specialist consultants, local government representatives, and community leaders.

Our team conducted on-the-ground inspections, assessing compliance of six key areas: structural integrity, fire safety, hygiene facilities, security, accessibility, and gender sensitivity. We also reviewed emergency plans and practices and spoke with key stakeholders and residents to understand local needs and context.

What I enjoyed most was the challenge of building trust quickly, navigating cultural differences, and shaping practical, community-led solutions. Based on our findings, we made clear, actionable recommendations, ranging from structural improvements to clearer roles, better coordination between agencies, and enhancements to better support women, children, and other vulnerable groups.

The project helped strengthen local preparedness by addressing key vulnerabilities ahead of the next hurricane season and empowering local teams to lead the changes. It was a project where the impact was clear, the collaboration was strong, and the work genuinely helped improve readiness on the ground. That made it a particularly rewarding experience for me.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

After being appointed Veterans Champion for ArchTam, I have taken a leading role in organising the ArchTam Armed Forces and Veteran Industry Insight Programme in the UK and Ireland. This initiative was developed to support individuals transitioning from military to industry careers by providing a platform to explore opportunities and access a dedicated support network.

The event highlighted diverse career pathways and demonstrated our ongoing commitment to veterans, service leavers, and reservists through targeted training, mentoring and advocacy. It underscored the wide range of roles available across the organisation and the broader industry — from project management to leadership positions — many of which align closely with the skills veterans bring from their military service.

The event also created a valuable space for attendees to connect with industry professionals, gain insights into civilian work environments, and explore new career possibilities. A key focus was on recognising and translating the transferable skills veterans possess — such as leadership, problem-solving, resilience and teamwork — into meaningful opportunities in the industry workforce.

The event’s success was reflected in the positive feedback we received and the stories of participants who left with renewed confidence, many now actively considering careers in project management. Looking ahead, we are committed to building on this momentum. I have begun developing an internal veterans’ network to foster a sense of community, provide peer support, and ensure that the voices and experiences of veterans are reflected across the organisation.

Share a piece of career advice

Embrace transferable skills and be open to new opportunities. My transition from the British Army to project management wasn’t straightforward. No matter where you start or what your background is, the experiences you’ve gained and skills you have developed are often more transferable than you realise, trust in them and don’t hesitate to step outside your comfort zone.

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I had also met two World War II veterans that frequent the post and, over time, developed a bond with them. My friend had an inspiration one day in June that he wanted to take our two veterans, along with other veterans in the Houston area, to New Orleans on an all-expenses-paid vacation to visit the World War II National Museum. He asked if I would be interested in helping him raise funds to make this happen.

I reached out to Sandra Broughton, our global head of Travel, and Travis Boone, our West Region Executive, and asked if ArchTam would consider donating points for the veterans who were interested to stay at the new Hilton Higgins Hotel, which is affiliated with the museum and located directly across the street. Without hesitation, both agreed to reach out to leadership and within a couple of days, I was given the okay.

With the help of a couple additional friends, we began fundraising and were able to support the 12 veterans and their families that would be traveling with us. We raised enough money to add an additional night as well as set up first class transportation on a coach bus, reserve a locally famous restaurant for their celebratory dinner and provide small excursions while we were in town. Necessary precautions were taken in making this trip happen while COVID cases were on the rise, keeping the families informed on all that we were doing to keep our heroes safe.

But despite these efforts, there were circumstances that were out of our control. Our trip was scheduled for August 27 and two days before departure, Ida began her path straight for New Orleans. We ended up traveling with seven veterans since several canceled due to the storm.  One of the veterans who decided to join us was 100 years old and laughed at the idea that he would stay home because of “a little rain.” These men are tough!

As people from the Gulf Coast, we are familiar with storm paths and monitoring the models. We spoke to locals at the museum and decided that with the forecasted Monday afternoon landfall, we would go ahead and make this weekend trip happen for our veterans. We left at six o’clock in the morning on Friday with a full police and military motorcycle escort, who ushered us the entire six-hour drive to New Orleans. As we watched the storm intensify quickly, we had to make changes. We were able to get to the museum a day earlier and get clearance to leave after just one night in The Big Easy, but it was a trip these veterans whole-heartedly appreciated. The road home took 18 hours but they were on a comfortable bus with their families, fully stocked with food and water (and a bar because they LOVE to drink) as well as a bathroom, games, pillows, music and, most importantly, memories. Not only did they not complain once, but they got off the bus and asked when the next trip was leaving.

I was blessed to have this trip supported by ArchTam as well as my colleagues. My family was able to travel along with me and my sons, who are 14 and 16, told me it was an experience they will never forget. We all sat at dinner shedding happy tears, watching these great men who’ve done so much for our country, just enjoying the experience.

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“On behalf of SAME, I am thrilled to welcome Rear Adm. Mark Handley, PE, F.SAME, USN (Ret.) as the Society’s 102nd National President,” said SAME Executive Director Brig. Gen. Joseph Schroedel, PE, F.SAME, USA (Ret.). “Mark has been a leader throughout his career, with the U.S. Navy, in private industry, and in SAME. Foremost, he inspires others to action by his example and hands-on engagement, from working personally with Society leaders and stakeholders, to improving how we operate to deliver value to our members. Mark has made significant impacts in the years leading up to our Centennial, but his commitment now to strengthening our industry-government engagement efforts will make a tremendous difference for our nation, our profession and SAME.”

We sat down with Mark to talk about SAME, ArchTam’s infrastructure work in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and federal agencies, and his vision moving forward.

You have been a member of SAME both during your service in the Navy and your tenure in the A/E industry. What are the benefits for other colleagues to get involved? In 1995, when I was a junior officer in the Navy, the senior officers encouraged me to join SAME. I initially joined for the social aspect, but was quickly drawn to the extensive opportunities for training, education, and professional growth through conferences, networking events, strategic partnerships, webinars, technical publications, and leadership development. As an officer in the Navy, I found SAME to be a great platform for industry-government engagement. For me, it provided a tremendous opportunity to interact with the private industry and to learn while in uniform. SAME provided a pathway for technical and professional development for myself and many of my fellow service members.

When I transitioned from military service to private industry, I stayed active in SAME. Drawing upon my previous knowledge and experience in the Navy, I found a space to provide feedback to government agencies about the challenges military engineers are facing today. I’m proud that ArchTam is such a strong partner with SAME and I appreciate that our leadership team is so supportive of the time I spend volunteering with the Society. The work we are doing is critical for the future of national defense and the engagement we foster between industry and government is invaluable.

What projects have you found most rewarding, both in the Navy and at ArchTam? As the Head of Environmental Contracts at the Western Division of NAVFAC in 1990, I had the opportunity to work with professionals in the industry as we executed the first Comprehensive Long-Term Environmental Action Navy (CLEAN) contracts for the Navy. Interestingly, one of the first three CLEAN contracts was with URS, which is now part of ArchTam. ArchTam’s CLEAN team is light years ahead—in terms of technical expertise and innovation—from where we started the program. These contracts, the first of their kind, have now become the gold standard in environmental contracting.

With ArchTam, I am incredibly proud to have worked on the Guantanamo Bay Energy Savings Performance Contract. Our team partnered with Siemens Government Technologies to provide energy-saving upgrades to key systems on the remote, isolated Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of the largest-ever Department of Defense island installation program, which is directly improving resiliency and mission readiness in the region. The energy savings achieved each year will be large enough to pay for the capital investments in equipment and technology, bringing stability and reliability to power generation, transmission, and distribution across the island.

Infrastructure is a hot topic. Can you give us some insight into the importance of ArchTam’s infrastructure work in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies? At ArchTam and throughout our industry, there is a strong focus on improving our infrastructure. While the current stimulus initiatives in Congress have been rightfully focused on the economic benefits of enhancing our infrastructure, there is a national security component as well that includes improving our military airfields, ports and installations to safeguard our nation’s defensive capability. For example, ArchTam is currently supporting the Navy’s planning efforts to upgrade four major shipyards under their ship maintenance program. This planning work will optimize the Navy’s $20 billion investment and improve readiness, which ties directly to ArchTam’s company-wide commitment to environmental, social, and governance priorities, as well as SAME’s mission to support military engineers and strengthen national security.

What are you most excited about achieving as SAME President? As SAME National President, I am most excited about service and giving back to the Society. My top initiative this year is a continued emphasis on industry-government engagement through thought leadership. SAME has more than 27,000 members and I look forward to bringing the best in industry and government to supporting our military engineers through collaborative engagement. With issues such as the Great Power Competition, project delivery reform and an infrastructure bill, now is the time to increase SAME’s focus and support on key issues affecting the broad military engineering community; expand the platforms in which SAME influencers can discuss and promote thought leadership; and continue developing relationships with strategic partners to raise SAME’s involvement in key A/E/C issues.

Through the equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) programs at ArchTam, I have gained a strong appreciation of the impact of this renewed focus on very tangible initiatives, which also align with DOD values. In connection with SAME’s large membership base, I am making ED&I a priority. Just as the industry and our federal partners focus on ED&I, so must the Society. We will develop a SAME National Action Plan to increase awareness across the Society and make near-term progress to achieve balanced representation of leadership at every level. We are committed to broadening our diversity of thought and inspiring members from various backgrounds to help lead our Society into the future.

I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to bring a wide range of ArchTam’s capabilities to help address key issues and continue supporting the military engineer community. As a SAME member since 1995, I consider it an honor to support our military engineers.

Banner image: Norfolk Naval Shipyard Photo credit: Courtesy of the U.S. Navy. Photo by Ernest R Scott.

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I’m thrilled that the TODAY Show shined a light on the important work of the COMMIT Foundation, including its incredible co-founder and CEO, Anne Maree Craig. She shared the organization’s mission: “So many organizations are focused right now on how many veterans they’re serving, rather than how deeply they’re serving individuals. The COMMIT Foundation steps back and rather than just focusing on interviews and resumes, we help people assess their values, their strengths, what they want a day to look like… We help them find themselves first.”

My transition out of the U.S. Marine Corps in 2007, after nine years of service, was one of the most stressful periods of my life. While I was eager to provide my family with greater stability and to pursue other dreams as a civilian, I was also leaving behind a life of tremendous purpose and fulfillment. Much of my identity was wrapped up in my military service. I was fortunate to land at ArchTam where my managers supported my ambitions to go to law school at night, and more than 12 years later, I still love what I do.

While my unconventional path has led to a very fulfilling post-military career, I certainly would have benefitted from a program like COMMIT back when I was so unsure of my future. My ArchTam colleague and fellow mentor, Melissa Udbinac, who is a U.S. Army veteran, agreed. She said, “Success often comes on an unexpected path that is very different from the starting point.”

My roommate from the Naval Academy retired from the Navy last year and joined the COMMIT Foundation as an executive, where he facilitates workshops. When he invited me to serve as a mentor last fall, I jumped at the opportunity and found the experience so rewarding that I wanted ArchTam to get more involved and make a greater impact. First, ArchTam helped sponsor a COMMIT workshop in Anaheim, California, with all women veterans, which was profiled on NPR. We also offered to host a workshop in our office.

At the start of the event, many of the veterans expressed their anxieties around financial security, finding a job they’re passionate about, networking, interviewing, and preparing adequately for a completely different career. I was asked to speak on the first mentor panel and specifically, to delve into the challenges of my own transition experience. My family experienced some significant and unexpected challenges during my transition so to share my personal experience with a group I hold in such esteem was cathartic.

Through a series of panel discussions and small breakout sessions, we set out to help the veterans increase self-awareness about their desired outcomes, expand their imaginations about possible career paths and gain insight into the industries that interest them.

Ray Lamas (right) shared his inspiring transition story with the veterans.

Mike Kostiw (left) and Melissa Udbinac (center) spoke about the evolving path to success.

At the end of the workshop, it was gratifying to see the veterans gain more confidence about their own transitions. My colleague Ray Lamas, a mentor and U.S. Navy veteran, said, “It has inspired me to continue working with veterans to help them communicate their outstanding value to civilian employers and ultimately find their new professional passions.” As these veterans begin their transitions into the civilian world after serving us, I am immensely proud of how ArchTam rallied around them.

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