Beca’s Garry Macdonald named Water Environment Federation Fellow

Garry Macdonald, Beca Water Market Segment Director, has recently been named a WEF Fellow by the Water Environment Federation (WEF).

Founded in 2011, the WEF Fellows Recognition Program celebrates the professional accomplishments, contributions and impact of individuals in the global water environment.

WEF Fellows are recognised in a variety of disciplines and areas of expertise including, but not limited to; design, education, operations, regulation, research, utility management and leadership.

“Mr. Macdonald, through his many contributions to the field of civil and environmental engineering is, in my assessment, especially well qualified to receive this recognition,” says C. Dale Jacobson, Past President, Water Environment Federation.

“I consider Garry Macdonald to be an outstanding and true citizen of the Water Environment Federation and a distinguished member of the global professional environmental engineering community. He has served WEF in multiple capacities and served as a skilled ambassador and an expert diplomat to various international professional water organizations.”

Fifteen WEF Fellows and one Honorary WEF Fellow were named worldwide in 2019, the first time any WEF Fellows have been named in Australasia. This is also only the second year any WEF Fellows have been named outside North and South America, in the nine years the program has been active.

For many years, Garry has represented Water NZ as its Delegate to the WEF governing body, the House of Delegates, and also spent four years as one of the 11-member Board of Trustees. Garry is also actively involved in the Program Steering Committee, which sets the technical program of presentations for the annual WEFTEC Conference, with him leading the “Future and Global Issues” Symposium.

In addition to his role at Beca, and on top of his 40+ years’ experience in wastewater and environmental engineering, Garry has a strong interest in giving back to his profession and to society at large. He has been or still is active at governance level in several community organisations and professional bodies, including Oxfam New Zealand, Water New Zealand, and Engineering New Zealand.

Established in 1928, WEF is a not-for-profit technical and educational organisation of 35,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations, representing water quality professionals around the world.

WEF’s diverse membership includes scientists, engineers, regulators, academics, utility managers, plant operators, and other professionals. WEF uses this collective knowledge to further a shared goal of improving water quality around the world, protecting public health and the environment.

Pictured is Garry Macdonald (on right) with Tom Kunetz, Water Environment Federation President.