November 2025

Fresh faces, future focus

Meet the new directors with a shared commitment to collaboration joining the Consult Australia Board of Directors: Beca’s David Barter and GHD’s Alexandra Wright.

David Barter and Alexandra Wright bring technical excellence and decades of leadership experience across complex infrastructure and defence portfolios. A shared focus on collaboration, innovation and mentoring drives their commitment to Consult Australia and to shaping a stronger, more resilient industry.

David Barter: Connecting the dots between purpose and practice

As Market Director for Defence and National Security at Beca, David's leads strategy across Australia and the Indo-Pacific. A member of Beca’s Australian leadership group and a former chair of Consult Australia’s Defence Roundtable, David is known for championing collaboration in both principle and practice.

“I’ve seen how powerful collaboration between government, industry and consultants can be,” he says. 

During his time chairing the Roundtable, David saw “firsthand how shared expertise and open dialogue can drive outcomes that matter – not just for projects, but for building a sovereign workforce to support national security”.

Looking to 2026 and beyond, David believes the opportunity is to “move beyond transactional relationships and build long-term collaboration that drives innovation and resilience,” particularly given the scale of investment coming through AUKUS.

“I want to help shape positive change, champion best practices, and make sure our sector keeps leading with integrity, innovation and technical excellence. For me, it’s about stepping up, sharing what I’ve learned from complex defence and infrastructure programs, and helping build an industry that’s ready for the future and ready to support the next generation.”

Alexandra Wright: Grounded leadership in a high-stakes environment

As Regional General Manager for Western Australia at GHD, Alexandra Wright brings more than two decades of technical, strategic and leadership experience. She’s led projects ranging from small scale engagements to major alliances, and shaped organisational strategy through her service on GHD’s board strategy and finance committees. 

“I am privileged to have a career in this amazing industry,” Alexandra says. This sense of gratitude fuels her drive to give back. “Ideally, we all leave the industry slightly better than when we joined.”

Alexandra’s commitment to mentoring and industry engagement underpins her long-standing involvement with professional associations, making her appointment to the Consult Australia Board a meaningful continuation of her industry contribution. “The aspirations of Consult Australia, dedicated to the success of consulting businesses, align closely with my personal goals.”

Alexandra is focused on the scale of infrastructure investment over the next decade, especially in water, energy and defence, which will require a “step change in approaches and methodologies,” built on better collaboration, smarter delivery models and a more ambitious embrace of technology.

“This challenge for continuous evolution will be key for 2026, and the years to come.”

Read more about Consult Australia’s Board of Directors and strategic plan for 2025-2028.