85. Fixing Infrastructure Delivery: Collaboration, Procurement Reform, and Building High-Trust Teams with Mark Simister

In this episode of Building Doors, host Lauren Karan sits down with Mark Simister, a globally experienced program leader who has spent three decades reshaping how infrastructure is delivered. From London’s crumbling water network to disaster recovery in Queensland and Christchurch, and ultimately transforming Sydney Water into one of the world’s top-performing programs, Mark’s story proves that collaboration is not a buzzword. It is a system that works when leaders are brave enough to implement it.

Mark opens up about his unconventional journey from the British Army to hydrogeology to major program delivery. He shares inside stories from rebuilding regions after natural disasters, pioneering early contractor involvement, cutting years out of procurement cycles, and leading one of the most influential collaborative frameworks in Australia.

Whether you work in water, transport, energy, major projects, or leadership more broadly, this conversation will challenge you to rethink how teams engage, how contracts shape behavior, and how cultural clarity lifts productivity. Mark shows what happens when you replace fear-based systems with trust-based delivery: better outcomes, higher morale, and programs people are proud to be part of.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Leadership & Career Journey:

• How Mark went from the British Army to hydrogeology to multimillion-dollar program leadership.
• Why early exposure to NEC contracts shaped his lifelong passion for collaboration.
• How major disaster events (2011 floods, Christchurch earthquake) taught him the power of co-location and shared purpose.

Collaboration & High-Performance Delivery:

• Why early-contractor involvement removes waste before it starts.
• How co-located teams eliminate rework and build trust.
• Why standardized contracts accelerate decisions and cut procurement delays.
• How shared KPIs and open-book data create accountability instead of adversarial behavior.

Procurement Reform & Industry Challenges:

• Why traditional tendering creates fear, inefficiency, and poor outcomes.
• How Sydney Water shifted from adversarial contracting to 10-year partnership frameworks.
• How behavioral scoring using organizational psychologists created world-class team alignment.
• Why governance should enable, not police, major programs.

Culture, People & Legacy

• Why emotional intelligence matters as much as engineering intelligence.
• How embedding finance, communications, and support staff into frontline teams boosts morale.
• Why Mark believes mature engagement between owners and contractors must define Australia’s next decade of delivery.
• What meaningful legacy looks like when billions of public dollars are on the line.

Key Quotes from Mark Simister:

• “I want to see people enjoying being at work. I want to see a maturity in the engagement between owner and contractor.”
• “Everyone will work in a spirit of mutual trust and cooperation, that’s written into NEC, and it changes everything.”
• “Get what you want. Get what you’re really striving for. If you want something, plan it clearly from the beginning.”
• “When disaster hits, people turn up. Collaboration becomes natural when the purpose is clear.”
• “It’s public money, my money and your money so I want to see it spent effectively.”

About Our Guest:

Mark Simister is a program delivery and collaborative contracting specialist known for transforming some of the most complex infrastructure environments in Australia and the UK. From Sydney Water’s award-winning Partnering for Success framework to major disaster reconstruction and global best-practice adoption via Project 13, Mark’s work continues to influence the future of infrastructure procurement, governance, and team culture.

About Your Host:

Lauren Karan, founder of Karan & Co. and host of Building Doors, is dedicated to helping professionals unlock their potential. Through insightful interviews and real-life stories, Lauren empowers listeners to create opportunities and thrive in their careers.

How You Can Support the Podcast:

• Subscribe and leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• Share this episode with anyone interested in sustainability and leadership.
• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn to follow his work and insights.

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• Follow Lauren and the Building Doors podcast on LinkedIn.
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Let’s Connect:

• Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email us at reachout@buildingdoors.com.au.

Thank you for listening! It’s time to stop waiting and start building.