Meet the team
Meet the team
Carey Gent Senior Director – Strategy, PMO and Digital
Based in Newcastle, Carey is a senior executive at KBR and a member of the Australian Senior Leadership Team. He oversees KBR's Project and Program Management, PMO, Digital & Systems Engineering, Procurement, Strategy, and Business Improvement functions. Carey has lived in the Hunter region for 17 years, spending the last 7 years with KBR in program management and business roles across Water, Energy, Resources, and Advisory sectors. He has led both small and large-scale programs for clients such as WaterNSW, Sydney Water, SA Water, Arafura, Oz Minerals, and BHP. Additionally, he has provided consulting oversight for clients including Hunter Water, DQWater, OHPSA, Mid-Coast Council, and Central Coast Council.
Before joining KBR, Carey worked at Orica, where he moved to the Hunter to develop and deliver major projects at the Kooragang Island Ammonia and Ammonium Nitrate Facility. He later held global GM & VP roles in Projects and Engineering and HSSE. Carey is also an active participant in Business Hunter as KBR's representative and is involved with the Hunter Chapter of Engineers Australia.
Greg Couch Industry Lead – Civil Engineering – Defence, Buildings and Nuclear
Greg is a Principal Civil Engineer with over 23 years of industry experience, 18 in the wider Newcastle area, as a design engineer, multi-discipline design manager and project director. Having previously managed his own office and design teams, Greg has strong leadership skills and is comfortable managing stakeholders, clients and delivery teams. He is a widely skilled Principal Civil Engineer having extensive experience across the Defence, residential, transport and water sectors. This experience encompasses all aspects of civil design and multidiscipline management throughout the project lifecycle from concept to detailed design and construction verification and supervision.
Greg has a strong foundation in managing the competing project interests and requirements of all stakeholders. Best for project outcomes form the basis of clear concise communication with all project parties. Greg’s technical experience encompasses a diverse range of engineering projects. His defence project experience ranges from minor projects in the Estate Works Program through to major base redevelopments of Williamtown, Moorebank, Edinburgh and HMAS Stirling. Across other sectors Greg has successfully delivered multiple master planned residential communities in the Hunter area, major road design and upgrades and onsite construction phase supervision and certification. Greg provides technical guidance and leadership in our Defence, Buildings, and Transport teams.
Peter Skeen Design Manager – Engineering
Peter is a seasoned engineering and business leader with over 20 years of experience in leading multidisciplinary design teams and managing technically complex major infrastructure projects across the defence, transport, and building sectors. As a member of KBR’s Infrastructure Solutions NSW leadership team, Peter employs a solutions-focused, problem-solving, and innovative approach to drive both technical and business excellence, while fostering a positive team culture to ensure success in business and project commitments.
Peter has successfully delivered major design projects in Newcastle and the Hunter region including RAAF Base Williamtown Redevelopment, University of Newcastle City Campus Q Building, Health Infrastructure NSW, Hunter New England Health major hospital developments, Stockland Greenhills shopping centre and City of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie council urban centre and building project upgrades.
As the chair of the Engineers Australia College of Leadership & Management Newcastle chapter and an engineering excellence awards judge, Peter is committed to supporting and advocating for the engineering profession through his volunteer work and long-term relationships with engineering and business leaders throughout the Newcastle and Hunter region.
Joshua Eggleton National Industry Lead – Water Resources
Joshua is an experienced project manager and water resource engineer with over 16 years of experience. Josh has specialist experience in water floodplain management projects across Australia for both public and private sectors.
Joshua is a life-long local to the Hunter and Central Coast region, spending the last 5 years with KBR in various technical and client facing roles across the Water and Transport sectors. He has successfully delivered projects for clients including Newcastle City Council, Port Stephens Council, Cessnock City Council, Maitland City Council, Central Coast Council, NSW DCCEEW, NSW Public Works and ARTC.
Joshua is a University of Newcastle alumni and has also served as a guest lecturer at the University for over 5-years facilitating a final-year environmental engineering design course focused on using TUFLOW for flood impact assessments.
Shannon Trafford Industry Director – Water Sector
Shannon is a seasoned leader in the water industry, renowned for her ability to cultivate high-performing teams and inspire innovative solutions to complex challenges. With over 22 years of experience delivering diverse engineering projects and programs across Australia and internationally, she has built a reputation for excellence and a customer-centric approach.
Throughout her career, Shannon has worked across program management, design, and construction within the water sector, bringing a strategic, big-picture mindset to every initiative. Her calm and confident leadership style fosters collaboration and cohesion, enabling teams to thrive and consistently exceed expectations.
Xan Philp Technical Advisor – Civil
With over 20 years of experience, Xan is a seasoned civil engineer known for delivering complex infrastructure projects across urban development, transport, and defence sectors. His expertise spans civil design, stormwater management, traffic and transport planning, and utilities coordination —making him an invaluable contributor to multidisciplinary teams.
Xan excels in managing integrated design solutions, consistently aligning technical precision with strategic project goals. His collaborative approach and deep understanding of stakeholder priorities have enabled successful partnerships with Transport for NSW, local councils, private developers, and contractors. He is committed to creating infrastructure that is safe, sustainable, and accessible.
Originally from Gloucester, Xan began his career through a council apprenticeship and is proud to call the Hunter region home. His strong local ties fuel his dedication to supporting the region’s continued growth and development.
Paul Tobin Technical Advisor – Civil – Transport
Paul brings over 18 years of experience from the rail industry, specialising in Track and Permanent Way engineering across metro, freight, and heavy haul environments. Based in the Infrastructure Solutions Transport Team, Paul has contributed to numerous high-profile rail infrastructure projects across Australia.
Being based in the Hunter Valley region continual since 2009, Paul has served as track lead on major projects for ARTC, CRN, Sydney Trains, and Transport for NSW in the Hunter Valley. Key recent projects include the Morisset and Vales Point Resignalling Project, Hanbury Junction Renewal and Port Waratah Yard Reconfiguration works.
He holds a Master of Engineering in Railway Infrastructure (Queensland University of Technology) and is recognised for his proactive leadership style, having successfully managed multidisciplinary teams from design to construction phases on a number of regional projects across the state.
Mariana Zafeirakopoulos Principal and Systems Excellence & Technology Management Practice Lead
Mariana has spent the last 20 years thinking about futures and how we can shape them. She uses structured design-based tools to study trends and possible future scenarios, helping guide better decisions and policies. Human-centred approaches is core to her practice, bringing together diverse expertise and voices from across social systems to co-create solutions to today’s complex challenges. In 2020 Mariana worked as a design coach to University of Technology (UTS) students working on placemaking and waterfront projects in Newcastle, helping students to reframe briefs and identify new and novel approaches that met multiple stakeholder needs.
She holds undergraduate qualifications in law (UNSW), Asian Studies and International Relations (USYD), a Master's degree in War Studies (public policy) (King's College London) and a PhD in Transdisciplinary Innovation (UTS) looking at what we can learn from design-based approaches when applied to how Strategic Intelligence provides advice to national security contexts.
Xan Philp Technical Advisor – Civil
With over 20 years of experience, Xan is a seasoned civil engineer known for delivering complex infrastructure projects across urban development, transport, and defence sectors. His expertise spans civil design, stormwater management, traffic and transport planning, and utilities coordination —making him an invaluable contributor to multidisciplinary teams.
Xan excels in managing integrated design solutions, consistently aligning technical precision with strategic project goals. His collaborative approach and deep understanding of stakeholder priorities have enabled successful partnerships with Transport for NSW, local councils, private developers, and contractors. He is committed to creating infrastructure that is safe, sustainable, and accessible.
Originally from Gloucester, Xan began his career through a council apprenticeship and is proud to call the Hunter region home. His strong local ties fuel his dedication to supporting the region’s continued growth and development.
Paul Tobin Technical Advisor – Civil – Transport
Paul brings over 18 years of experience from the rail industry, specialising in Track and Permanent Way engineering across metro, freight, and heavy haul environments. Based in the Infrastructure Solutions Transport Team, Paul has contributed to numerous high-profile rail infrastructure projects across Australia.
Being based in the Hunter Valley region continual since 2009, Paul has served as track lead on major projects for ARTC, CRN, Sydney Trains, and Transport for NSW in the Hunter Valley. Key recent projects include the Morisset and Vales Point Resignalling Project, Hanbury Junction Renewal and Port Waratah Yard Reconfiguration works.
He holds a Master of Engineering in Railway Infrastructure (Queensland University of Technology) and is recognised for his proactive leadership style, having successfully managed multidisciplinary teams from design to construction phases on a number of regional projects across the state.
Mariana Zafeirakopoulos Principal and Systems Excellence & Technology Management Practice Lead
Mariana has spent the last 20 years thinking about futures and how we can shape them. She uses structured design-based tools to study trends and possible future scenarios, helping guide better decisions and policies. Human-centred approaches is core to her practice, bringing together diverse expertise and voices from across social systems to co-create solutions to today’s complex challenges. In 2020 Mariana worked as a design coach to University of Technology (UTS) students working on placemaking and waterfront projects in Newcastle, helping students to reframe briefs and identify new and novel approaches that met multiple stakeholder needs.
She holds undergraduate qualifications in law (UNSW), Asian Studies and International Relations (USYD), a Master's degree in War Studies (public policy) (King's College London) and a PhD in Transdisciplinary Innovation (UTS) looking at what we can learn from design-based approaches when applied to how Strategic Intelligence provides advice to national security contexts.
