Our Leadership Team

Mark Read is Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Verbrec. He is a results-focused senior executive business leader, CEO and Board director with a proven record of successfully establishing, transforming, acquiring and growing businesses to improve profitability, enable international expansion and achieve sustained growth.

Mark brings over 30 years’ experience across publicly listed and privately held global engineering service companies, with roles spanning global enterprise management, engineering, project management and turnkey construction through to operations and maintenance across a wide range of industries including Mining, Power, Environment, Water and Infrastructure.

He is recognised for possessing strong and proven executive leadership and management skills that have seen him achieve outstanding business results in multi-national and global enterprises, harnessing the power of Digital innovation and Renewable Energy solutions with a strong focus on positive ESG outcomes.

Richard is an Australian Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and UK Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA). Richard has over 25 years’ experience in senior financial and commercial positions within International and ASX listed entities. Richard will assume the responsibilities for all of Verbrec’s finance functions and other Corporate Services including Legal, Contracts and Procurement and ICT.

Brad is a Project Delivery, Project Controls and Business Systems professional with more than 20 years’ experience across a range of industry sectors both client side and consultant side. As a degree qualified Mechanical Engineer, with a career originally forged in the manufacturing sector, Brad has a strong background in Lean methodology and a passion for process improvement.

Brad has been with the business for more than 10 years and has worked across Project Engineering, Project and Portfolio Management, Business Systems and General Management. More recently, Brad was accountable for rolling out Verbrec’s new ERP system through 2020-22 and subsequently then rolled out a revamped Project Delivery System.

Having developed an intimate understanding of the business across all levels over his tenure, Brad is now accountable for leading the Verbrec Business Units operations team and business systems and processes to ensure a relentless focus on operational efficiency and quality

Joel is a Contracts, Procurement and Governance professional with over 15 years of experience, primarily in the construction, manufacturing and engineering consulting sector.

He joined Verbrec in 2016 and in addition to his Company Secretarial duties is the Contracts and Procurement Manager for Verbrec and its associated subsidiary companies. As part of his role, he provides commercial guidance to key company stakeholders and acts as the main conduit between the company and its various legal advisers, insurers and regulators.

Soheil has more than 20 years of experience across petrochemical, oil and gas, and water infrastructure design, construction and integrity management. He has extensive experience in pipeline design, from concept studies through to construction support, together with a strong background in engineering services.

As General Manager – East Engineering at Verbrec, Soheil oversees engineering services across Eastern and Northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and parts of the Pacific. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, and is a Chartered Engineer, RPEQ and Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Soheil actively contributes to standards committees including AS 2885 and AS 4822, as well as Future Fuels CRC projects. He is also an AMPP Certified Coating Inspector.

His experience includes managing engineering teams, developing engineering systems and processes, the design, procurement and construction of onshore pipelines and related facilities, and facilitating risk and strategy workshops.

As General Manager of People & Capability, Debra oversees all facets of the People function, including talent acquisition, leadership and capability development, rewards and recognition, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

She leads the team responsible for implementing systems and processes that strengthen and grow Verbrec’s human capital. Her expertise is instrumental in ensuring that the workforce remains a key positive differentiator as the company continues to evolve.

Debra is an innovative and results-driven HR business leader with a proven ability to collaborate with teams and broader stakeholder groups to deliver people management solutions that enhance organisational performance.

With a career spanning over 20 years, Debra has gained extensive experience across diverse industries, including energy, mining, professional services, superannuation, and property valuation and advisory. Her extensive leadership experience across these sectors brings a solid foundation for driving continuous improvement.

Debra holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Human Resource Management from Griffith University and is committed to fostering a workplace culture of growth, inclusivity, and excellence.

Tony is General Manager – Engineering South, Central and West at Verbrec, with responsibility for engineering operations across South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

He has more than 30 years of experience across the infrastructure, oil and gas, mining and minerals, water, and food and beverage sectors, with extensive business development, project management and engineering management experience gained through roles with Amec, Goodman Fielder and LogiCamms.

Tony’s qualifications and technical background are in electrical engineering, control systems and automation.

Erik leads strategic initiatives in decarbonisation, sustainable infrastructure, and the adoption of emerging energy technologies across Australia and New Zealand.

With over 20 years of experience in the energy, resources, and infrastructure sectors, Erik brings a technically grounded and commercially pragmatic approach to enabling the energy transition. His expertise spans key areas of engineering in the energy sector, such as asset integrity, process safety, and the integration of low-emissions technologies like carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), hydrogen, and biomethane.

Erik holds a Master of Maintenance and Reliability Engineering, is recognised by Engineers Australia as a Chartered Engineering Executive, and is a Certified Fellow of the Asset Management Council.

His leadership continues to support the industry’s transition toward electrification, low‑carbon gas markets, and more sustainable mining, contributing to the ongoing evolution of the energy and resources sectors across the region and positioning Verbrec as a trusted partner in the evolving energy landscape.

Travis is responsible for leading Verbrec’s New Zealand operations, supporting business growth and operational excellence across the region. He is an experienced business leader in the engineering and energy sectors, with a strong track record of driving growth, operational excellence and high-performance cultures across multi-disciplinary teams.

He has extensive experience leading day-to-day operations including budgets, project profitability, resourcing, and fostering collaboration across technical and commercial teams to deliver exceptional outcomes. Travis has also successfully led organisations through change, including navigating transitions into new and unfamiliar markets, while developing new markets, building client partnerships and aligning teams behind a shared vision for high performance and revenue growth.

A people-centric leader, Travis is known for developing and empowering people through clear direction, performance feedback and professional growth opportunities. He fosters a positive workplace culture where people feel supported, engaged and motivated to deliver outstanding results.

Dominic leads Verbrec’s Asset Management services, overseeing a team of specialists focussed on delivering asset management solutions for clients across Australia, New Zealand, PNG and the Pacific.

He has over 15 years’ asset management and maintenance experience, specialising in maintenance management, operational readiness assurance, and maintenance optimisation. Dom has a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Queensland and holds qualifications in Lean Six Sigma.

Jarrod leads Verbrec’s Operations & Maintenance Services, overseeing the operation and maintenance of pipelines and associated facilities across Australia. He is responsible for ensuring this work is delivered safely and in line with client expectations.

He has more than 15 years of experience across the oil and gas, mining and minerals processing industries. His expertise includes brownfield design and construction management, pipeline and process facilities design, operations and maintenance, turnaround project management and contract administration.

Jarrod holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Swinburne University.

Chris is Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Automation, a Verbrec company. Since 2012, he has led Alliance Automation’s growth from its early beginnings into one of Australia’s largest industrial automation and electrical engineering teams.

Chris drives a customer-centric culture built on integrity, strong ethics and excellence, with a focus on attracting and retaining high-performing engineering talent and building long-term trusted client relationships.

He has extensive industry experience across engineering delivery, engineering management, commercial management and business development.

Ashley is responsible for leading Alliance Automation’s operations. He brings more than 25 years of industry experience across engineering, project, resource, operations and commercial management.

Ashley has extensive experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and developing business and operational process improvements.

Jai is responsible for leading Alliance Automation’s project delivery.

He is an experienced Professional Engineer with more than 25 years of experience implementing and managing automation projects across the water, mining, energy, infrastructure and heavy industry manufacturing sectors.