Global engineering, advisory and design firm Aurecon has been named one of Australia and New Zealand’s most innovative
companies, ranking number four in the professional services category of the prestigious AFR BOSS Most Innovative
Companies list.
The esteemed annual list, published by The Australian Financial Review and Boss magazine, is based on a rigorous
assessment process managed by leading innovation consultancy Inventium in conjunction with a panel of industry expert
judges. For the first time in 2019, organisations were ranked directly against their peers across ten industry lists
that assessed entries from 800 nominated organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Aurecon was recognised for its OpenGATE AutoDraw project that used computational design and machine learning to create
automated digital drawings, driving greater accuracy, speed and enabling higher quality responses to design challenges.
Aurecon Chief Executive Officer William Cox commended the honour that recognises Aurecon’s position as a leading
innovator in the professional services industry.
“This award is a great testament to Aurecon’s continued efforts in redefining what’s possible as we push to digitise
infrastructure. The infrastructure project design and delivery paradigm is ripe for change and at Aurecon we are
constantly advancing our digital capabilities to provide state-of-the-art technical and digital expertise to our
clients,” Mr Cox said.
“Our ranking on the AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies list is a great tribute to the culture we have at Aurecon where
we constantly strive to see the opportunities, possibilities and potential that others don’t, enabling us to create
clever solutions to some of the world’s most wicked problems,” Mr Cox said.
Aurecon Managing Director – Design, Innovation & Eminence, Dr Kourosh Kayvani explained that Aurecon identified there was a significant area to improve around
digitising drawing and documentation in an innovative way that would benefit mega projects such as the four
billion-dollar West Gate Tunnel project.
“By returning time to the infrastructure design process via software automation in the building information modelling
(BIM) environment, we have freed up engineers to do what adds most value – creative design and pushing the boundaries of
what is possible,” Dr Kayvani said.
The AFR BOSS Most Innovative Company assessment also evaluates a company’s internal elements such as innovation culture,
strategy, resources and process, which demonstrate a sustainable and repeatable approach to innovation.
Dr Kayvani said the award recognised the value Aurecon places on internal training and development programmes to develop
mastery amongst design practitioners.
“Aurecon’s Design Academy saw scholars completing intensive innovation workshops in addition to employees across the
organisation undertaking specific training in design to innovate methodology to elevate the quality and importance of
design at Aurecon to the highest level,” Dr Kayvani said.