Greg Lowe has always known that whatever career he decided to follow, it would have to make a difference to places or people. “I’ve got a passion for being involved in things that achieve enduring change, such as things that create some kind of long lasting improvement in our community, or change in organisations I’m involved with,” he says.

Growing up in Palmerston North, Greg knew from the age of 15 he wanted to make his mark as an engineer and follow in family footsteps. He joined the Royal New Zealand Navy when he left Palmerston North Boys High School at 18, accepting a place on the officer training programme. It meant the navy paid for him to study for a degree at Auckland University as well as posting him for a year to the British Royal Navy Engineering College in the UK.

“It was a great experience. I formed a strong relationship with other marine engineers from around the Commonwealth. I formed a lot of friendships I could call upon later in my naval career to solve problems.” On his return to New Zealand, Greg went to sea for a few years carrying out operational roles for the navy.

He was chief engineer of the frigate Wellington before arriving in Australia for the first time to take up a position as design manager for the mechanical and electrical section of the ANZAC ship project – later hailed as one of Australia and New Zealand’s most significant joint ventures ever. He worked in Melbourne and Canberra, where he then met Jane, his wife-to-be.

“Jane was a Kiwi pharmacist living in Australia for a while. We got married and moved to Melbourne. Our eldest son Matthew was born there.”

The couple moved to Wellington and had two more children, Emma and Sam. All three siblings are now teenagers, making the Lowe household a lively place to be. The move back to New Zealand was sparked by a posting to head up marine engineering for the Navy. Moving to the private sector a few years later, he joined project management company RDT Pacific where he was involved in ANZ’s building projects in New Zealand and the Pacific as well as energy efficiency projects and process improvements around engineering plant.

Then he joined Beca – at the time a smaller company than it is today with its 2500 employees spread between New Zealand, Australia and Asia. From regional manager in Wellington, Greg headed back to Melbourne in 2006 to lead Beca’s Australia business.

During this time he has been extensively involved in projects responding to climate change, particularly in the Water industry. “Ongoing drought meant there had to be significant investment in water infrastructure including recycling. The Bendigo Recycled Water Factory, a Beca design project, recycles 100 percent of Bendigo’s wastewater to irrigate orchards. “It was also a fantastic lift for the community. Prior to that, they were struggling to find a water supply for things such as heritage gardens and sports fields.”

He says no matter what people think about the cause of changes to the climate, the main thing is how government and businesses react to it. The debate about the cause is interesting, he says, but finds what people are doing to adjust and to limit harm to the environment more to the point. Greg says he particularly enjoyed being involved with the $4 billion Victoria desalination project to generate one third of Melbourne’s water supply.

“Taking action to reduce pollution is good. Taking action to deal with climate change is essential. The situation in Melbourne has improved. “At the time the project was announced in 2009, there was only enough water for 500 days. The situation has eased but the long-term problem has not gone away.

“Being involved in projects such as that one, providing enduring and transforming benefits, is what Beca does for it clients. Doing so in sync with the environment and society needs is important.”

Effects on the environment and society matter a lot to Greg. He is a strong believer in sustainable practices – supporting environmental objectives and outcomes – and says large public investment projects should involve communities. He says there are a lot of spin-off benefits and advises using local industries where possible to produce benefits for them and local government from taxation and profits. New Zealand already has a reputation for supporting and protecting its environment and Greg thinks it is an important point to leverage. He says as the country’s economy grows it needs to support the developed environment by using environmentally sustainable design, take advantage of energy sources and reduce demand on consumption.

“New Zealand has a platform on which it can build on its care for and protection of the environment. We can offer products and services that help other countries. We have the potential to provide competitive advantage in that space.” Christchurch’s earthquakes have also presented the country with opportunities to shine, he says, with planners and the construction industry getting the chance to come up with new ideas to develop the city and decide what will attract ongoing economic activity there.

“It’s important for the building industry to be part of that. I think it will be quite a dominant feature on the New Zealand landscape for the next five or so years.” He is upbeat about the New Zealand economy, saying Prime Minister John Key is taking very positive steps, and predicting a return to respectable growth “from now on”.

At the age of 52, Greg is following his dream of being a top business leader and is looking forward to fulfilling his new role as Beca Group chief executive officer leading its global operations, taking over the reins from Richard Aitken. He says he has worked in organisations where there were jobs he would not like to do but has not always paid a lot of attention to his job description, preferring to format a work plan himself.

“I’m a great believer that you should leave any job better than you joined it. It’s about how to make what you do better for the next person.” He has had many exciting roles in the navy, such as when he was chief engineer of the frigate, and pronounces working with and leading people “very satisfying”.

“I’ve been involved in leading technical people for more than 30 years.”

Greg will be moving with his family to Auckland next year and says he is looking forward to doing some sailing and monitoring the proposed transformation of the waterfront, which he thinks is long overdue.

“Developing the waterfront made a big difference in Wellington. It brought people back to the city.

“It’s a very vibrant thing to be doing. Auckland has such a beautiful waterfront, similar to Sydney’s. It is a very good opportunity for the building industry to do some clever and innovative work.”