Our Leaders

Phil Chapman

Chief Executive Officer | Principal Geotechnical Engineer

Phil is responsible for the strategic direction, growth and leadership of the CMW group of businesses.  He also works closely with all our staff and strategic partners to develop opportunities.

Phil has professional experience primarily working in New Zealand and Australia gaining broad experience in a wide range of geotechnical projects. He specialises in projects located in complex geological settings, including the development of geotechnical ground models, design, analysis and reporting for residential, commercial and industrial developments, plus expert evidence. Phil has obtained a Masters Degree (MEngSc) in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of New South Wales in Sydney and a Bachelor (BSc TECH) and Masters Degree (MSc Hons) from Waikato University in New Zealand.  Phil is a Chartered Geotechnical Engineer, with a professional registration in New Zealand (CPEng).

Dave Morton

Technical Director (New Zealand) | Principal Geotechnical Engineer

Dave has a broad level of experience in a wide range of geotechnical projects, particularly in soft ground engineering, land slope stability, seismic geotechnical design and earthworks construction incorporating a wide range of soil types. Having established and managed a regional geotechnical consulting office for several years, where he was responsible for the financial and technical delivery of the business unit, one of Dave’s strengths is communicating with clients and contractors to understand and share their challenges and to determine the most practical and relevant solutions.

Dave has also gained significant management experience where he was responsible for all aspects of management and operation of the South Australia, Northern Territory and Asia business of an international geotechnical consultancy. Dave's role focuses on the delivery of major CMW projects that require specialist geotechnical involvement and collaboration within client teams.

Craig Butterworth

Technical Director (Australia) | Senior Principal Geotechnical Engineer

Craig started his career working in the oil and gas sector, working offshore in the UK and Middle East. Subsequently he decided to transfer into onshore geotechnical engineering with a number of years working within a multidiscipline consultancy in the UK working on high profile structural developments. During this time Craig developed an expertise in the design and construction of complex basement schemes and the design of piled foundations. Subsequently he has gained experience in the UK working as a temporary works co-coordinator for a large water utility company, managed large scale ground improvement works in the Middle East, and assisted local authorities in the UK with the management of unstable slopes.

Since arriving in Australia in 2010 he has worked on a large number of prominent projects within Australia, New Zealand and Asia, including major urban developments, infrastructure developments and land reclamation works. Whilst having a broad knowledge of geotechnical engineering, he specialises in temporary works design and design of permanent geotechnical works. Other areas of specialist technical interest include the management of geotechnical data and soil structure interaction.

Craig is the Technical Director for CMW Geosciences whilst maintaining a local presence in Perth, Australia. He has published several technical papers, is on the assessment panel for Engineers Australia and is a supervising civil engineer for the Institute of Civil Engineers.

Craig obtained a Masters Degree (MEng Hons) in in Civil Engineering specialising in geotechnical engineering, obtained from  Newcastle University in the UK. Craig is now a chartered geotechnical engineer, with professional registrations in the UK (CEng) and Australia (CPEng). In addition he is a registered engineer in Queensland, Australia (RPEQ).

Richard McKenna

Chief Operating Officer | Principal Geotechnical Engineer

Prior to joining CMW, Richard was responsible for the management of several specialist businesses for an international geotechnical consultancy based in Australia. Through this role, he has worked in all regions of Australia and been involved in many major flagship projects, managing a mixture of professional and technical staff.

This experience, as well as serving his early years, with a specialist piling and ground improvement contractor has meant that he has been exposed to a wide variety of projects, issues and experiences. This led to Richard often being used to come in and trouble shoot projects when they needed issues resolved during and prior to construction, when time is of the essence and decisions need to be made.

Richard has additionally had a wealth of experience in small to medium size projects which just need to be delivered on time and to budget, while additionally providing solutions which are straight forward and cost effective.