Peter Nadebaum retires after 40 years

After 40 years with GHD, Peter Nadebaum, Environmental Auditor and Senior Technical Director – Contamination Assessment & Remediation, will retire in April 2024.

After 40 years with GHD, Peter Nadebaum, Environmental Auditor and Senior Technical Director – Contamination Assessment & Remediation, will retire in April 2024.  

Over more than four decades, Peter has gained significant experience in contaminated land assessment and remediation, health and environmental risk assessment, environmental management of industrial facilities, industrial waste and wastewater treatment, air emission assessment and design of air pollution control systems, environmental impact assessment, and statutory approvals for establishing new facilities. 

Peter was one of the first environmental auditors appointed in 1990, the founder and inaugural President of the Australasian Land and Groundwater Association (ALGA), and was awarded the Association’s first 'Honorary Life Membership' in 2013. Peter was also a founding member and for some years a Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (crcCARE). He had a technical leadership role for various crcCARE projects and was appointed a crcCARE Fellow in recognition for his contributions. Peter was similarly a founding member and on the Board of Management of the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment, and was involved in developing the risk-based approach that now underpins drinking water quality management internationally.

Reflecting on his career, Peter is grateful that he’s been able to usefully contribute to both the industry and GHD over many years, and he adds, “My interests have always been in the technical sphere – making things and achieving successful and useful outcomes. GHD has allowed me to focus on the technical aspects of our work. I remember being told early on “Peter, you work on the technical aspects and bring work in; others will look after the rest” – so that’s what I did.”

“When I joined GHD in 1984, communication was by mail, phone, telex or in person. Back then we didn’t have computers, we wrote out reports and letters by pen for typing by a typist, and then revised by pen for retyping, until computers gradually became available. It truly was such a different time compared with all that we have now.”

Chris French, GHD’s Regional General Manager – Victoria, notes the significant contribution that Peter has made not only to his field of expertise, but to GHD and the industry. “Peter’s technical excellence and deep industry experience through his four decades of service is unparalleled. His mentorship and contribution have made a huge impact on our team in Victoria and more broadly across GHD. I congratulate Peter on an exceptional career and wish him all the best in his retirement.”