Design Management - The Missing Discipline

Join us in person for a discussion on Design Management, an often overlooked but crucial discipline that bridges creativity and business. Whether you're a designer, manager, or just curious, this event will uncover the secrets to making design a key player in any project.

Rick Hopkins (FIEAust)

Design Director, Sydney Water

Rick Hopkins (FIEAust), Design Director at Sydney Water, will explore why design management is the critical yet often under-recognised link between technical excellence and successful project delivery. Drawing on 25 years of experience leading large, complex government infrastructure projects with Aurecon and Mott MacDonald, Rick will share practical insights into how structured design leadership can transform outcomes.

Rick will discuss how effective design management goes beyond coordination — it provides clarity of roles, strengthens governance, manages risk early, and aligns multidisciplinary teams around shared objectives. He will reflect on his work at Sydney Water, where he has led the complete restructuring of the design process to improve consistency, accountability, and performance across major infrastructure programs.

As a qualified civil and structural engineer, Rick understands both the technical depth and the human dynamics involved in delivering integrated solutions. Attendees can expect real-world examples of facilitating complex discussions between engineers, architects, services designers and stakeholders — and practical strategies to make design a true strategic driver in any organisation, rather than an afterthought.

Held at KBR Sydney Offices

Level 13, 201 Kent Street Sydney NSW

Arrive by 5:30 for a 6:00 pm start. Drinks and nibbles after the presentation.

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