Directors

Gerard O'Connor

Gerard O'Connor

Managing Director
Rodney Lucas

Rodney Lucas

Engineering Director - EU and the Americas
Steve Lowe

Steve Lowe

Engineering Director - Asia Pacific
Jonas Hoffmann-Vocke

Jonas Hoffmann-Vocke

Engineering Director
 

Gerard O'Connor

Gerard O'Connor

Managing Director

Gerard is a chartered engineer with a Chemical and Materials Engineering degree from Auckland University. As a graduate engineer, he worked for a specialty chemical manufacturing and supply company in NZ. He then spent 3 years working in the UK as a project and process engineer for large scale API manufacturing pharmaceutical plants in Bristol and Grimsby.

Gerard joined PDV in 1996 where he has worked as a project engineer, process engineer, design engineer, engineering manager, and is now the managing director. Gerard successfully designed and managed many of PDV’s large scale projects in New Zealand and overseas, and has played a vital part in growing PDV Consultants into the highly successful company they have become today.

He is passionate about engineering and splits his work life between managing the company and carrying out engineering projects which he is still heavily involved in. He sees one of the most important and rewarding jobs is transferring knowledge and engineering skills to the next generation of engineers working at PDV Consultants.

 
 

Rodney Lucas

Rodney Lucas

Engineering Director - EU and the Americas

Rodney graduated from Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland with a First Class Masters in Chemical Engineering. Rodney joined the PDV team as a student placement in 2003. He has since returned to the UK to manage the European office for PDV since 2008, serving both Europe and North America.

Rodney's knowledge base is across the entire dairy unit operations and Rodney has managed and engineered several large projects in NZ and Europe.

 
 

Steve Lowe

Steve Lowe

Engineering Director - Asia Pacific

Steve began his career in architectural design and quantity surveying with Telecom NZ prior to travelling and working for a number of engineering consultancies in the UK.

Steve joined PDV as a contract CAD designer in 1997. His ability to design, draft, supervise site staff and project manage installation works led Steve to join the company staff in 2002. He has been involved in design engineering either as a lead or as a supervisor for most of the work undertaken by PDV.

 
 

Jonas Hoffmann-Vocke

Jonas Hoffmann-Vocke

Engineering Director

Jonas has a Bachelors and Doctorate in Materials and Process Engineering from the University of Waikato. He initially worked in the field of mechanical design and development before working in industrial energy efficiency research and implementation focused on the dairy industry. He joined PDV in 2012.

Jonas is a Chartered member of IChemE and has completed design and management roles across a variety of projects throughout New Zealand and overseas. He has a strong passion for engineering, and likes to work on home projects and a spot of fishing when he gets a chance.

Jonas is based in Hamilton with his wife and young daughter.

 
 

Business Team

Krystal Lee

Krystal Lee

Assistant Accountant
Sarah Morton-Johnson

Sarah Morton-Johnson

People and Performance Consultant
 

Krystal Lee

Krystal Lee

Assistant Accountant

Krystal joined PDV in 2019 as Assistant Accountant, after working in the early childhood sector as an Administration Co-ordinator. She attended Massey University where she attained a Bachelor of Business Studies, double majoring in Marketing Management and Human Resources.

Krystal has returned to Massey as a distance student and is currently studying Accounting, with the aim to become a Chartered Accountant.

Outside work Krystal has two young children that keep her on her toes. She also enjoys kick boxing and gardening.

 
 

Sarah Morton-Johnson

Sarah Morton-Johnson

People and Performance Consultant

Sarah is passionate about supporting people and organisations to realise their potential and perform at their best. She’s all about doing things right and doing the right things. With a background as a human resources generalist across the manufacturing and services sectors in Australia and New Zealand, Sarah enjoys working with the PDV Consultants team to engineer a strong team that delivers great results for clients and is fun to be a part of.

Sarah wears many other hats, including school trustee, Chairman of a not for profit, tea lady for a senior’s craft group, parent/taxi service to two primary-aged children and wife to a busy entrepreneur. When she’s not wearing one of these hats, you can find her planning a cruise holiday or reading a trashy novel!

 
 

Engineering Staff

Chris Murphy

Chris Murphy

Principal Engineer
Trevor Lowes

Trevor Lowes

Principal Engineer
Chris Stainton

Chris Stainton

Principal Engineer
Jacus Kruger

Jacus Kruger

Principal Engineer
Rob Scott

Rob Scott

Principal Engineer (Electrical)
Andrew Boulton

Andrew Boulton

Senior Process Project Engineer
Dan C. Hela

Dan C. Hela

Senior Process Project Engineer
Emma Roe

Emma Roe

Senior Process Project Engineer
Michael Ferris

Michael Ferris

Senior Process Project Engineer (UK)
Arron Craig

Arron Craig

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer
Josh Sun

Josh Sun

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer
Ray Benson

Ray Benson

Senior Mechanical Designer
Iain Cameron

Iain Cameron

Process Project Engineer (UK)
Robyn Mayne

Robyn Mayne

Process Project Engineer (UK)
Jashneel Chandra

Jashneel Chandra

Mechanical Projects Engineer (UK)
Michael Sutton

Michael Sutton

Process Project Engineer (UK)
Ramin Razmi

Ramin Razmi

Process Project Engineer
John Cameron

John Cameron

Process Project Engineer
Zane Norvill

Zane Norvill

Process Project Engineer
Steven Farrow

Steven Farrow

Mechanical Design Engineer
Wing Kei Tsang

Wing Kei Tsang

Process Project Engineer (UK)
Julian West

Julian West

Process Project Engineer
Betsy Mitchelmore

Betsy Mitchelmore

Process Project Engineer
Florencia Martinez

Florencia Martinez

Process Project Engineer
Kaitlin Te Rito

Kaitlin Te Rito

Process Project Engineer
Peter Orton

Peter Orton

Mechanical Design Engineer
David Joaquim

David Joaquim

Mechanical Design Engineer (UK)
Nalin Guleria

Nalin Guleria

Mechanical Design Engineer
Kieran Mangan

Kieran Mangan

Mechanical Design Engineer
Dennis Pool

Dennis Pool

Mechanical Design Engineer
Jordan McKinnell

Jordan McKinnell

Mechanical Design Engineer (UK)
Joshua Seifert

Joshua Seifert

Mechanical Design Engineer
Jamie Mudford

Jamie Mudford

Process Project Engineer
Hadley Kirby

Hadley Kirby

Mechanical Design Engineer
Ben Smith

Ben Smith

Mechanical Design Engineer
Arshpreet Sidhu

Arshpreet Sidhu

Mechanical Design Engineer
Matthew Cranefield

Matthew Cranefield

Mechanical Design Engineer
Theo Etuata

Theo Etuata

Mechanical Design Engineer
 

Chris Murphy

Chris Murphy

Principal Engineer

Chris joined PDV as Principal Engineer in 2018, and has over 25 years Engineering and Project Management experience across a range of industries. Prior to joining PDV, Chris spent 12 years in the Capital Projects team at Fonterra, successfully implementing projects across a number of sites. Chris is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, and obtained a First Class Honours degree from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

In his spare time, Chris enjoys running his lifestyle block at Karapiro with his wife.

 
 

Trevor Lowes

Trevor Lowes

Principal Engineer

Trevor joined PDV as Principal Engineer in 2018, and has over 20 years Engineering and Production/ Process Improvement experience across the food manufacturing industry. Prior to joining PDV, Trevor spent 5 years as the Lead Technologist (Powders/ Lactose) at Fonterra, providing technical expertise across the business and successfully implementing a number of process improvement projects.

Trevor completed a B.Tech (Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering) at Massey University and brings a unique sense of humour as well as enjoyment of cycling and fishing to the PDV Consultants team.

 
 

Chris Stainton

Chris Stainton

Principal Engineer

Chris joined PDV as Principal Engineer in January 2020, with over 25 years’ experience in a range of engineering, technical and management roles within the dairy industry. Immediately prior to joining PDV, Chris spent 7 years at Fonterra as Lead Technologist and then Process Design Team Lead, applying new processing technologies to dairy manufacturing processes. Prior to that he worked for engineering supply companies in process engineering, project management and portfolio management.

Chris has a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical and Materials, from the University of Auckland. He is based in Hamilton NZ, and enjoys hiking and spending time with his wife and three teenage children.

 
 

Jacus Kruger

Jacus Kruger

Principal Engineer

Jacus completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Food Engineering and a Master of Engineering in Bioprocess Engineering at Massey University.

After a previous engineering role, Jacus joined PDV in 2012 as a process engineer and is now a senior engineer. He is also a Chartered member of IChemE. He has worked on various dairy industry projects throughout New Zealand and overseas.

Outside of work, Jacus enjoys exploring the outdoors.

 
 

Rob Scott

Rob Scott

Principal Engineer (Electrical)

Rob joined PDV as Principal Electrical Engineer in August 2023, and brings with him over 25 years of experience in electrical engineering of control systems for the process industry.

He comes to PDV from his own electrical engineering company where he has worked on contracts for several international and local projects. Rob has a passion for electrical control systems and has been involved in all aspects of projects including engineering and design, installation, commissioning, as well as project management roles.

Rob has a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics with Honours from the University of Auckland. Robert is married with five adult children and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

 
 

Andrew Boulton

Andrew Boulton

Senior Process Project Engineer

Andrew joined PDV in 2019 and has worked predominantly within the dairy industry for over 30 years, beginning in sheet metal construction of process vessels and specialised equipment. This hands-on start to his career has proved pivotal to his success in project engineering and project management roles. He has been involved with many different projects from inception, detail design, through to final commissioning and client handover.

Andrew enjoys spending time with family & friends and pursues his passion of four-wheel driving with enthusiasm.

 
 

Dan C. Hela

Dan C. Hela

Senior Process Project Engineer

Originally from North Shore in Auckland, Dan earned his bachelor's degree with honours at the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He previously worked overseas as a project engineer in composites manufacturing for an Australian-owned OEM company based in China prior to returning home to NZ. He joined PDV as a process project engineer where he has been continuously involved in various construction projects, installing and commissioning processing facilities, here and overseas.

For Dan, there are five secrets to happiness: fried chicken, pastry, burgers, good wine, and good coffee. Well actually, there's chocolates, too. So, make that six.

 
 

Emma Roe

Emma Roe

Senior Process Project Engineer

Emma joined the PDV team in 2014 as an engineering graduate from the University of Waikato. While in NZ, she gained valuable experience working on a large variety of projects. In 2017, Emma transferred to PDV’s UK branch based in Belfast where she gained experience in cheese processing and continued to develop her project management, process engineering and commissioning skills. Emma returned to the NZ team in 2021 and is looking forward to new challenges in the NZ industry.

In her spare time she enjoys staying active, getting outdoors and spending time with family and friends.

 
 

Michael Ferris

Michael Ferris

Senior Process Project Engineer (UK)

Michael graduated from Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland with a First Class Masters in Chemical Engineering. Michael joined the PDV team as a student placement in 2014. Since joining he has gained valuable experience working on a large variety of projects and continues to develop his project management, process engineering and commissioning skills. Michael has enjoyed working on a number of large projects across Europe and the US.

In his spare time he enjoys playing American Football, getting outdoors and staying active.

 
 

Arron Craig

Arron Craig

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Arron began his career in Australia’s mining and oil and gas industries as a boiler maker/welder in 2006 before eventually upskilling into Mechanical Engineering and moving to New Zealand.

He joined PDV Consultants in early 2018 as a Mechanical Design Engineer and has been involved in numerous projects throughout New Zealand and the UK.

Arron enjoys spending his free time the warmer months hiking and traveling with his wife or at home spending his time 3D printing and tinkering with electronics projects.

 
 

Josh Sun

Josh Sun

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Josh completed a Bachelor of Engineering degree with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waikato. He joined PDV in 2016 as a fourth-year intern and started working full time in early 2017.

He has been involved in the design and commissioning of various projects through-out New Zealand and providing engineering supports to the UK office as required.

 
 

Ray Benson

Ray Benson

Senior Mechanical Designer

Ray has worked with PDV since 2002 as a contract mechanical CAD designer. Earlier in his career, he was an HVAC tradesman with the Ministry of Works, where he achieved his Advanced trade Certificate. Then furthering his mechanical training, he attended Waikato Polytech to earn a NZCE.

After years of freelance draughting in the Waikato he widened his life skills on volunteer building programs in Papua New Guinea and Myanmar for several years with his wife, before returning to PDV as a staff member in 2013.

 
 

Iain Cameron

Iain Cameron

Process Project Engineer (UK)

Iain graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a MSc in Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in 2014, becoming a chartered engineer with IChemE in 2022. He spent time in high hazard industry before joining PDV in January 2022 and working on various projects around the UK and Ireland.

Iain spends his time outside of work playing tennis and training for road running events.

 
 

Robyn Mayne

Robyn Mayne

Process Project Engineer (UK)

Robyn started as a graduate process engineer with PDV Consultants at the end of 2019 after completing a BE(Hons) in Materials and Process Engineering at the University of Waikato.

In her spare time, Robyn enjoys spending time with her family and friends and getting outdoors by running, tramping and camping.

 
 

Jashneel Chandra

Jashneel Chandra

Mechanical Projects Engineer (UK)

Jashneel joined PDV Consultants in 2018 as part of his summer internship program. He attended Waikato University where he gained a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering with First Class Honors and was part of the Formula SAE team as part of his 4th year project. Upon completion of his required papers and internship, Jashneel was delighted to be a permanent member of PDV in his role as a Mechanical Project Engineer.

During his down time Jashneel likes surfing, fishing, diving and spending time with friends and family.

 
 

Michael Sutton

Michael Sutton

Process Project Engineer (UK)

 
 

Ramin Razmi

Ramin Razmi

Process Project Engineer

Ramin’s global education spans Iran, Malaysia, and New Zealand. He has a Doctorate in Chemical and Materials Engineering from the University of Auckland. His PhD research involved working on milk spray dryer digital twin development. Ramin joined PDV in 2022.

In his spare time, Ramin enjoys travelling, camping, hiking, and swimming.

 
 

John Cameron

John Cameron

Process Project Engineer

Born and raised in Accra, Ghana, John grew up around the gold mining industry and did a brief internship at a gold mining recovery facility. After a stint at a UK boarding school, he graduated from the University of Nottingham with a master's degree in Chemical Engineering.

John previously worked as a project engineer for 5 years at a company specialising in dairy powder systems around New Zealand. He then joined PDV Consultants and hopes to continually bring his diligence and positive can-do attitude.

If not playing football in his free time, John’s arm can be easily twisted to join in on all things involving food, games and the outdoors.

 
 

Zane Norvill

Zane Norvill

Process Project Engineer

Zane has a Bachelor's Degree and PhD in Process Engineering from Massey University. He initially worked at Massey University on industrial research projects for companies including cream cheese modelling and confidential process prototype development.

Zane enjoys reading, gardening, tramping, and casual sports. He is based in Hamilton with his wife and family.

 
 

Steven Farrow

Steven Farrow

Mechanical Design Engineer

Steven completed a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree with First Class Honours at the University of Waikato. He spent two years working in the structural field specialising in both new and retrofit seismic restraints of engineering systems in buildings and was involved in designs and assessments of compliance in multiple industrial sites and large hospitals. He joined PDV as a mechanical engineer in September 2021.

In his spare time, Steven enjoys running and mountain biking, and if left unsupervised at home can be found dismantling something he shouldn’t.

 
 

Wing Kei Tsang

Wing Kei Tsang

Process Project Engineer (UK)

Wing has a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast, where she graduated in 2021. She joined the PDV Belfast team in April 2023 as a Process Project Engineer. She has previous experience in the water industry as a Process Engineer.

In her free time, she enjoys yoga, crochet, cooking and reading.

 
 

Julian West

Julian West

Process Project Engineer

After obtaining a BSc in Physics from the University of Paisley, Julian has worked in the semiconductor, electronics, medical device, and animal pharmaceutical manufacturing industries for more years than he cares to admit, before joining PDV in July 2023.

Outside of work, he is attempting to raise two children and play his way through an excessive collection of board games.

 
 

Betsy Mitchelmore

Betsy Mitchelmore

Process Project Engineer

Betsy has been working on industrial projects for over nine years with experience in process design, commissioning, plant automation, and operations. She has been involved in a wide variety of projects from pilot plant development and testing through to concept and detailed design of large-scale processing plants. Prior to joining PDV Betsy has worked in the geothermal and minerals processing industries and gained valuable hands-on experience working on site.

Betsy has a Chemical and Materials Engineering Degree from The University of Auckland. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, going for walks and camping with her young daughter and husband.

 
 

Florencia Martinez

Florencia Martinez

Process Project Engineer

Florencia studied Food Engineering at the University of Entre Rios in Argentina. As a student, she worked in a research laboratory and completed an internship in the beverage industry and was on exchange in the USA. She has been involved in various areas of the beverage and food industry since 2019, from process and project engineering to production and quality management.

Florencia enjoys taking on new challenges, both personal and work-related. She likes to travel, see new places and get involved with the people and customs of each destination. In her free time, she enjoys riding her bike, running and hiking.

 
 

Kaitlin Te Rito

Kaitlin Te Rito

Process Project Engineer

Kaitlin studied Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Waikato with extra studies focusing on mechatronics. As a student, she worked as an intern at Tatua Dairy Company assisting in CIP validations and numerous small-scale projects which gave her a valuable introduction into the dairy processing industry. She joined PDV in 2019 as a summer student and has since worked on process projects and commissioning.

She is an ardent foodie and also enjoys challenging herself in various mountain bike trails. In her spare time, Kaitlin enjoys patting cows.

 
 

Peter Orton

Peter Orton

Mechanical Design Engineer

Peter completed a Bachelor of Engineering degree with Honours in Mechanical engineering at the University of Waikato. Before joining PDV, he gained experience in sheet metal component design while working in CNC plate processing. Since joining PDV, Peter has been actively involved in projects at every stage, from initial design to final commissioning.

Outside of work, he enjoys snowboarding and dedicating time to his project car.

 
 

David Joaquim

David Joaquim

Mechanical Design Engineer (UK)

David studied MEng Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast and graduated in 2016 with a First Class Honours degree. Over the next 5 years, he then worked as a design engineer in the heavy manufacturing industry. David joined PDV’s Belfast office as a mechanical design engineer in January 2022 and has been building his experience in the dairy industry.

Outside of work, David is a playing member of a local hockey club. He also enjoys playing football, running, hiking and has started learning to play the piano.

 
 

Nalin Guleria

Nalin Guleria

Mechanical Design Engineer

Nalin completed a BE(Hons) degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waikato. He joined PDV in 2021 as a fourth-year intern and started working full time soon after.

In his spare time, Nalin enjoys playing social sports, cooking and loves spending time with his friends.

 
 

Kieran Mangan

Kieran Mangan

Mechanical Design Engineer

Kieran graduated with a BEngTech Mechanical from Wintec in 2021 and joined the PDV team shortly thereafter. He really enjoys the culture at PDV and learning from his colleagues.

Prior to his engineering studies, Kieran worked in the scenic construction industry in the UK and has experience working on large projects in theatres and museums.

In his spare time, Kieran enjoys woodworking and brewing beer.

 
 

Dennis Pool

Dennis Pool

Mechanical Design Engineer

Dennis started his career as a draughtsman working in aluminium fabrication and production before completing a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waikato. Since then, he has worked for 12 years as a design engineer in the HVAC industry and milk powder handling systems. Dennis joined PDV in June 2023 as a mechanical design engineer.

In his spare time he enjoys tramping, home brewing (wine and spirits) and tries to travel more when time permits.

 
 

Jordan McKinnell

Jordan McKinnell

Mechanical Design Engineer (UK)

Jordan joined PDV’s Belfast office in 2023 after completing his BEng Mechanical Engineering degree at Queen’s University Belfast in 2022. He hopes to build on his knowledge of the dairy industry and get hands-on experience as an engineer.

Outside of work Jordan plays for a local rugby team and enjoys spending time with friends.

 
 

Joshua Seifert

Joshua Seifert

Mechanical Design Engineer

Josh joined PDV after completing an internship with us during his studies for a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Canterbury. He is excited to apply his engineering skills at work and gain more industry knowledge.

Outside of work, Josh enjoys playing and watching football and can be found hitting the ski slopes in the winter.

 
 

Jamie Mudford

Jamie Mudford

Process Project Engineer

Jamie graduated from the University of Waikato with a BE(Hons) in Chemical and Biological Engineering in 2023 and joined the PDV team shortly thereafter. Her previous industry experience includes completing internships as a lab assistant with Sealed Air and as a project engineering intern with Tetra Pak.

In her spare time, Jamie likes to play and coach inline hockey. She also loves to get outdoors and spend time with friends and family.

 
 

Hadley Kirby

Hadley Kirby

Mechanical Design Engineer

Hadley graduated with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Waikato Institute of Technology in 2009. He began his varied career in the aluminium extrusion industry, before moving into aluminium fabrication design and glass balustrading for architectural buildings. Prior to joining PDV, he gained experience in designing fixed plant in the mining industry.

In his free time, Hadley enjoys running and spending time with the family.

 
 

Ben Smith

Ben Smith

Mechanical Design Engineer

Ben graduated with a Diploma of Mechanical Engineering from Waikato Institute of Technology. He then worked in HVAC engineering where he was involved in a variety of commercial projects before joining PDV.

In his free time, Ben enjoys hiking, social tennis, assembling computers and spending time with friends and family.

 
 

Arshpreet Sidhu

Arshpreet Sidhu

Mechanical Design Engineer

Arshpreet graduated with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Waikato Institute of Technology in 2017. He started his engineering career as a machinist where he gained first-hand practical skills and knowledge. He eventually moved into mechanical design in 2021 where he has been involved in designing process layouts and solutions for the wine industry, freeze drying machines, salmon farms and defence force.

He enjoys playing football, 8-ball pool and spending time with friends and socialising.

 
 

Matthew Cranefield

Matthew Cranefield

Mechanical Design Engineer

Matthew completed a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree at the University of Waikato. He worked as an intern for PDV for two summers while at university, eventually transitioning to a full time role in late 2023.

In his spare time, Matthew enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, disassembling & repairing vintage electronics.

 
 

Theo Etuata

Theo Etuata

Mechanical Design Engineer

Theo earned his Diploma in Architectural Technology in 2021. Prior to joining PDV, he worked as a structural designer for a small business.

Outside of work, Theo enjoys appreciating food and seeing new places. He loves watching animes and reading comic books. He is a self-professed Marvel and DC fan.