Our Board

Chair: Dr Penny Burns

Working with engineers in the water authority in South Australia in 1984, Penny developed the engineering-economics hybrid of Asset Management, introducing methods of current asset valuation and renewals forecasting that formed the basis, in 1986-1987, of eight pivotal reports to Parliament on the cost and timing of asset renewal, the 8th of which included the first attempt at an Asset Management manual.  She then extended this, working with the NSW Department of Public Works, to create the content for Australia’s first statewide AM manual. Over the past 40 years she has extended this work in discussion with Audit, Accounting, Architecture and a wide range of other disciplines.

From 1994 to 2014 her newsletter ‘Strategic Asset Management’ became a beacon in the industry. In 1996 she founded the International Asset Management Competitions elevating Asset Management’s global presence, and in 1998 she launched the first open website for asset management fostering global collaboration. After bringing her Asset Management newsletter to a close after twenty years with issue 400 in 2014, she created the Talking Infrastructure Association to focus on Infrastructure Decision Making, ensuring we create infrastructure that is ‘fit for the future’.

In October 2023 she published “The Story of Asset Management” recounting the struggles and achievements of a growing tribe of asset managers in the first ten years, 1984-1993.  The sub-title “Infrastructure, we can afford to buy it, can we afford to keep it?” is even more relevant today as we consider environmental and social costs hardly thought about 40 years ago.

She is currently working on ways to encourage multi-disciplinary approaches to AM problems, writing about infrastructure economics, and creating order out of the chaos that is her garden.

Board member: Ruth Wallsgrove

Lead global trainer for AMCL and based in their North America team, Ruth is an ex director and Fellow of the Institute of Asset Management, and has worked in AM across many countries and sectors for more than 25 years, including as GM of Strategic AM at NSW RailCorp.

Together with Lou Cripps she wrote Building an Asset Management Team in 2019, and was founder & first editor of the IAM Assets magazine. She is currently on the IAM Competences Steering Group.

Ruth drafted both the first and second edition of the UK Infrastructure and Projects Authority Project Routemap manual on Asset Management and the better questions we must ask about new assets; how to ensure ‘future friendly infrastructure’ through better business cases, greater understanding of total cost of ownership and more sustainable and resilient design is her passion. 

She loves having an allotment.

Board member: Jeff Roorda

Currently Director of Infrastructure and Project Delivery Services at the City of Blue Mountains, Jeff was the CEO of Jeff Roorda and Associates (JRA) leading a team of specialist asset managers and has worked in AM across many countries and sectors for more than 30 years. Jeff has worked with many agencies and software providers during that time to support a wholistic approach to plan and manage built and natural assets for the benefit of future generations. Following the acquisition of JRA by TechnologyOne, Jeff was General Management for Strategic Asset Management and worked with the TechnologyOne project team for 3 years to develop an integrated software solution to better manage built and natural assets.

Jeff was part of the team that published the first International Infrastructure Management Manual in 2000, followed by the Infrastructure Financial Management Manual (first edition in 2009). Jeff Roorda and Associates (JRA) worked in partnership with IPWEA, ALGA and Stage Agencies to provide training and asset management capacity building from 1991, when the Australian Accounting Standard No.27 first mandated that local authorities should be accountable for the resources they control and their performance in managing those resources. Jeff was part of a project team that published the IPWEA Roads and Transport Directorate (IPWEA RTD – NSW/ACT) Guide for the Valuation Of Road Assets in 2023 to account for the impact of four natural disasters, and is currently a member of the IPWEA RTD working group on Lessons Learned from Disaster Recovery, a project established to assist NSW Councils work with Local, State and Federal Government Agencies, to better prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters.

The likely impacts of climate change on infrastructure and natural assets will require a new level collaboration to harness our collective imagination, skills and innovation.

Board member: Gregory Punshon – Artist-Engineer-MBA

Director Consulto Pty Ltd. Former Local Government CIO and Assets Engineer.

Gregory championed Asset Management Improvement programs in Local Government and delivered asset management policies, strategies, and plans for all asset classes, as well as resourcing strategies, and understandable community-facing explanation of assets, the services they deliver to the community, and the cost to the community of maintaining and expanding or reducing those services.

Currently looking at how, Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Cities, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Open Development come together, and the real-world impacts of these technologies and philosophies.

“It’s an interesting time to be in the business of predicting the future. A great time to be proposing socially beneficial change.”

Gregory also writes technical and aspirations books and makes visual and physical art.

Board Member: Lou Cripps – Leader-Follower-Worker-Team Builder-Thinker-Maker

Lou Cripps started as a licensed aircraft maintainer and has evolved through technical roles and finally into AM leadership. This has shaped his understanding of asset management, management of assets, maintenance, systems thinking, and team leadership.

At Denver’s transit agency, RTD, Lou played a role in pioneering management system approaches, fostering a culture of ‘asset stewardship’ and promoting sustainable asset management practices. As a Registered Asset Management Professional and co-chair of the Institute of Asset Management Colorado branch, he co-authored Building an Asset Management Team with Ruth Wallsgrove.

Lou’s current endeavors focus on developing a guide for CEOs, Board Members, and politicians, explaining their roles as asset stewards, and advancing the asset management system at RTD to achieve optimized asset value-based outcomes. His commitment to developing future leaders in the field underscores his belief in the enduring value of knowledge and capability building.

Beyond the realm of AM, Lou engages in diverse pursuits, from building and gardening to practicing Jiujitsu, embodying his multifaceted personality and commitment to continuous personal and professional development. He offers a wealth of experience combining curiosity, philosophy, and Asset Management principles with pragmatic application.