Douglas E. Oakervee, OBE | Chartered Civil Engineer
Douglas Oakervee is a Chartered Civil Engineer, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors and a Fellow of the Faculty of Building. Of his 52 years in engineering 24 were spent in Hong Kong.
Although he is a civil engineer by training his career for the most part has been multi-disciplinary and embraced not only construction but mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. This has been especially the case in tunnelling through temporary works and heavy plant as well as his extensive involvement in railway, marine and airport works.
His most recent appointments have been as the Executive Chairman for Cross London Rail Links Limited, to which he was appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport in December 2005, becoming full time in July 2006. This organisation is responsible for the delivery of "Crossrail" which provides London with the vital rail connection from Maidenhead in the west to Shenfield in the east. Having led the company into the implementation phase, h e retired from Crossrail Limited on 31st May 2009.
The Mayor of London - Boris Johnson - in May 2009 appointed Mr Oakervee as adviser on the Thames Estuary and possible future airport.
He is also a member of the senior management team of Laing O'Rourke Limited and has been appointed non-executive chairman of Laing O'Rourke (Hong Kong) Limited.
His early experience focussed on and the design and construction of marine and tunnel works, including London Underground's Victoria Line, various port installations in Northern Ireland and the Grand Canal Drainage Tunnel in Dublin.
In 1975 he moved to Hong Kong to join the newly established Mass Transit Railway Corporation where he was initially involved in tunnel design and subsequently the construction of the first two railway lines including the Permanent Way.
In 1982 he established Oakervee Perrett and Partners and was involved in a variety of engineering works throughout the Far East as either designer or project manager or both, including the Gas Production Plant at Tai Po, the new Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Headquarters Building, the Eastern Harbour Crossing and the Kwun Tong Bypass. The organisation grew, eventually employing 450 engineers, technicians and support staff.
The partnership, in joint venture with Babtie, Shaw and Morton of Glasgow (who later acquired the practice) and Crocker Associates, undertook the design of the Jubilee Line from Waterloo to Southwark and London Bridge.
Together with Norman S. Thompson CBE, the first Chairman of the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Corporation, Mr. Oakervee founded the EHC Project Management Co Ltd, taking charge of the Eastern Harbour Crossing Project (£400 million in 1985 money) that provided a second road and rail crossing of Victoria Harbour. As Managing Director of the company, he was responsible for project management, coordination of design and all aspects of engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning. He was also a non-executive director of the New Hong Kong Tunnel Company, which still operates the tunnel today.
He was appointed Project Director to the Hong Kong Airport Authority in November 1991 and was responsible for all aspects of planning, design, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of Hong Kong's new £6.0 billion (1993 money) airport on a man-made island. This was successfully completed against an extremely difficult and complex political background straddling the return of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. The Project employed several hundred contractors and suppliers and at peak had an on-site workforce of 21,000 with an equally large number offshore. As well as being project director he also deputised for the CEO.
He was also Executive Chairman of the Airport Core Programme Job Centre from January 1996 until its closure in July 1997, which played a significant role in the recruitment of labour for the Airport Core Programme embracing all ten projects.
Mr. Oakervee retired from the Airport Authority in December 1998.
In April 1993 he was appointed by HE the Governor of Hong Kong and in 1997 re-appointed by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC, as a member of the Construction Advisory Board. He continued as a member of the Board until March 1999.
In November 1995 he was awarded the "Baker Medal" and in September 1999 the "Telford Medal" by the Institution of Civil Engineers for his work and technical papers presented to the Institution on Hong Kong's new Airport. Subsequently in 2008 he was awarded the Institution of Civil Engineers' Gold Medal - the Institutions highest honour.
In May 1998 he was elected to the Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers for the years 1998 - 2001 and subsequently elected vice-president for the years 2000 - 2003. He was President for the year 2003 / 2004.
In the New Year's Honours list 2000 he was awarded the OBE for "services to civil engineering overseas".
He was appointed to the Senate of the Engineering Council in 2000. In 2001 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineers and in the same year a Fellow of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers. He is also liveryman in the Worshipful Company of Engineers.
Upon his return to the UK he set up as a Consultant Civil Engineer assisting various clients in both the public and private sector in the UK and the Far East.
Between May 2005 & June 2006 he was Executive Director of London Gateway Port Limited a subsidiary of P&O and was responsible for the planning and design of the proposed automated Container Terminal at Shell Haven on the River Thames which is expected to be the UK's largest port.
Doug was awarded a CBE in the 2010 Queens' Birthday Honours list for "services to civil engineering."
