With more than two decades of transport sector experience, William Tieppo takes on the role of Chief Executive Officer of V/Line on 25 August, leading a team of more than 2,700 employees delivering nearly 3,700 train and coach services to Victorians each week.

William’s most recent role was Deputy Secretary for Network Design and Integration and was the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning’s Deputy Secretary for Network Development.

He successfully led the procurement of Victoria’s largest ever rollingstock investment, managed the development and delivery of Victoria’s freight and road safety plans, and oversaw the readiness and operations of major infrastructure projects.

He previously worked at VicRoads as a Regional Director for South Western Victoria and Director of Regional Operations, in addition to executive positions at the City of Greater Geelong.

Julian Smalls has joined AECOM as Regional Business Line Director for its Transport business line in Australia and New Zealand.

Julian brings more than 35 years of international and local experience across Asia, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand, working with both government and private sector clients. Most recently, he led Jacobs’ Rail, Ports and Aviation  business for ANZ, where he drove transformational growth.

“Transport is at the heart of how communities connect, grow and thrive, and I'm proud to be joining Engineering News-Record’s 2025 world’s top transport design firm,” Julian says. “AECOM is delivering work that truly matters, and I look forward to collaborating with our clients, partners and colleagues to drive innovation, resilience and impact in everything we do.”

Jennifer Cunich has concluded her four-year term as Independent Chairperson of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI).

Jennifer is well known across Australia’s property and planning sectors, having led the Victorian and ACT divisions of the Property Council of Australia for two decades before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Architects.

Her board and governance experience includes nearly five years as an authority member with the Victorian Planning Authority.

She chairs the ACT Suburban Land Agency.

HDR continues to expand its operations with a new Melbourne CBD workplace brings together HDR's architecture, engineering and transportation teams.

“After three years of laying a strong foundation, we’re ready to accelerate our growth and deepen our presence in this dynamic city,” says Clive Baker, HDR Director of Planning, Design and Transport.

“Our new Melbourne office embodies HDR’s design philosophy – creating spaces that inspire creativity, enable integrated thinking and support meaningful design dialogue,” adds Alison Potter, HDR’s newly appointed Design Principal.

The state-of-the-art workspace features multiple collaboration zones, dedicated model-making areas, materials libraries and design review spaces. “This new space reflects our ambition – to lead with design that is collaborative, purposeful and deeply responsive,” says Architecture Managing Principal Huai Lim.

The Crisafulli Government has announced four new appointments to the Queensland Rail Board. Andrew Wellington will serve as Chair, joined by Lisa Hewitt, Julian Haber and Wendy McMillan alongside continuing member Loretta Lynch.

The new board brings together expertise across rail operations, cyber security, technology transformation, finance and manufacturing. Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg welcomed the appointments, thanking outgoing members and highlighting the “valuable perspectives” the new leaders bring.