Austroads has welcomed a new Program Manager who will replace Natalie Lockwood.
Richard Delplace has taken up the role of Program Manager, Network and commenced his new position in June.
Chief Executive of Austroads, Nick Koukoulas, said, “Richard is no stranger to Austroads, having worked as a consultant on several initiatives, including recently capturing ways in which transport agencies are adopting new technology-enabled trends such as Artificial Intelligence and Mobility as a Service.”
Richard has also developed case studies on latest Smart Motorways applications, and co-authored white papers on Intelligent Transport System planning for arterial roads and the future possible uses of the kerbside.
Mr Delplace said, “I am excited by the opportunity to support the road and transport agencies in their ongoing expansion from road builders to road network operators, and ultimately stewards of multi-modal mobility services.
“There are tremendous initiatives being implemented across the jurisdictions to improve the mobility of people and products.
“Sharing ideas, experiences and lessons learnt, jointly reviewing international best practice and collaboratively defining the appropriate level of consistency and harmonisation can have a significant impact on our customers’ journeys and the ability of the individual jurisdictions to deliver on their respective visions for mobility and safety.”
Richard is an engineer and certified Project and Program Manager, with 17 years experience in technology applied to road, freight and public transport operations.
Since migrating to Australia in 2007 from France, he has worked in technical leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. Between 2012 and 2017, he managed the implementation of the STREAMS ITS control system, coordinated the national STREAMS Customer group, and established the ITS Best Practice and Operations branch for Main Roads Western Australia.
“Richard is replacing Natalie Lockwood who has been awarded an Outstanding Service Award for her valuable contribution to Austroads, including her leadership of the Network Program from 2016 to 2019,” Mr Koukoulas said.
“During this time, she has managed some significant priority projects including Safety at Road Worksites and Congestion and Reliability. She has consistently delivered projects on time and on budget and her team building skills have been highly regarded by the task forces and working groups she has led over the last four years.”
Natalie has taken up a position at the Australian Road Research Board. Austroads wishes her all the best in her new role.
