Our Purpose
Engineering Better Lives
COVA's purpose goes beyond engineering - it is centred around “Engineering Better Lives”.
Our responsibility extends beyond technical expertise: we are committed to every person at COVA growing, and leaving a better person than when they started.
It shapes how we act on every project, and the difference we aim to make beyond it.
Our Values
Company Values
Authenticity
True to your own personality, values, and spirit, regardless of the pressure that you're under to act otherwise.
Continuous Learning
Constant personal and professional growth. More than just acquiring new skills, it is about learning from our experiences and seeing failure as a path to success.
Respect
We accept each other for who we are, value our differences and allow others to express themselves in order to build mutual trust and work together toward common goals.
Focus
Being able to focus is vital for high performance. It is about being able to prioritise, manage our time well and commit ourselves 100% to one task at a time.
Collaboration
Listening and evolving together, helping and supporting each other for the sake of a collective goal.
Quality & Diligence
Providing a consistent standard, whether this is in the products we deliver to customers or the effort we put into our team projects. We are thorough and diligent, and we care about our work.
Change for the Better
Constantly questioning concepts and processes in order to improve. Willing to leave your comfort zone and explore the possibilities, as you know the path will lead to progress.
Ownership
Taking responsibility for projects and seeing our own tasks through to completion. As individual members of a collective, it is important we see how we all contribute to the company's vision; we own our patch and we trust others to do the same.
Our History
A Moment in Time
Founded
Lincoln Scott purchased Hanson Joseph Patterson (a local Tasmanian consulting firm) and traded as Lincoln Scott.
Lincoln Scott Tasmania
Changed to local ownership as Lincoln Scott Tasmania.
Changed name to EMF Consultants
Opened Launceston office
Merged with Stephenson Maunsell & Partners
Merged with Stephenson Maunsell & Partners in Hobart and changed name to Stephenson EMF Consultants.
Changed name to SEMF
Acronym for Scientists Engineers Managers Facilitators.
Opened Sydney office
Acquired Strasta Page ECS
Acquired Strasta Page Engineering Consulting Services.
Opened Melbourne office
Acquired Austek Engineering
Acquired John Vroland & Associates
Acquired Tattersall Engineering Consultants
Acquired EAW
Acquired Earth Air Water Consulting and Monitoring Pty Ltd (EAW).
Rebrand to COVA
Acquired ACH Management; expanded across Asia
Opened offices in Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand) and Phnom Penh (Cambodia).
Established office in Auckland
Established office in Taipei City
Established offices in Tokyo and Singapore
Established office in Manila (Philippines)
Established office in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
Established office in Jakarta (Indonesia)
Our Promise
People
Experience matters, but what keeps clients with us is how we work: alongside you, with open communication and mutual respect.
Problem Solving
We solve problems. On large projects we look for the highest-value answer, not the most complicated one.
Honesty
Projects change direction. We deal with change openly, and we tell you the truth about cost and programme when it happens.
14 Countries
16 Cities
45+ Years
Executive Leadership
Allan Waitzer
Chairman, COVA Group | Team Leader - NSW
Chairman of COVA Group and Principal Electrical Engineer with more than 40 years’ experience across health, education, retail and commercial projects Australia-wide.
Ben Evans
Group Managing Director | Chief Executive Officer
Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer; leads COVA Group across Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe with responsibility for strategy, operations and technology direction.
Simon Little
Executive Director - Australia | Head of Engineering
Executive Director for Australia and Head of Engineering, with more than 28 years across electrical contracting, site delivery and building services consultancy.
Kerr Thomson
General Manager - Asia | Head of Advisory
General Manager - Asia and Head of Advisory, with more than 30 years’ construction industry experience across Southeast Asia. Established COVA’s Cambodia office in 2010.
Pit Wah Chung
Finance Manager
Fellow Chartered Accountant (Singapore) with more than 20 years in senior finance roles across listed and multinational companies; leads COVA’s finance and accounts team.
Regional Leadership
Gerard McKone
Senior Design Manager | State Leader - VIC
Senior Design Manager and State Leader for Victoria; former National Construction Manager for Kmart and Myer with deep retail development experience.
Maciej Jankowiak
Senior Design Manager | State Leader - TAS
Mechanical engineer and Senior Design Manager with almost 25 years in Tasmanian construction; State Leader for Tasmania.
Leila Rostom
Country Leader - Cambodia | Head of Commercial Management
Chartered Quantity Surveyor (FRICS) with 15 years’ international experience; Country Leader for Cambodia and Head of Commercial Management.
Justin Landis
Country Leader - Philippines | Head of Project & Construction Management
PMP-certified project management professional with more than 20 years’ experience; leads COVA’s Philippines operations and the Project Management Office across Asia.
Caleb Cooper
Country Leader - Vietnam
Mechanical engineer (BEng Hons) and Country Leader for Vietnam, heading COVA’s Asia MEP team from Ho Chi Minh City.
COVA News
Accreditations & Pre-qualifications
COVA operates a JAS-ANZ accredited (third-party certified) Integrated Management System (IMS) that complies with the following international and Australian standards.
- AS/NZS ISO 9001:2016 - Quality Management Systems
- AS/NZS ISO 14001:2016 - Environmental Management Systems
- AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018 - Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems
- BizSafe Star - Workplace Safety & Health Council (Singapore)
COVA's Quantity Surveying team are RICS Certified.
COVA is also a member of industry bodies including the Large Format Retail Association (LFRA), AusCham Cambodia, AustCham Singapore and Lighthouse Club Cambodia - the full list is on our accreditations page.
Our Commitments
COVA is governed through formal charters covering the board, risk, financial accountability and technology. All four are published below.
Our Promise
Sustainability
COVA advises on building design for sustainable outcomes: hazardous-substance handling and removal, environmental audits, and environmental management plans.
We are committed to minimising environmental impact, conserving natural resources and cutting carbon, on our projects and in our own operations.
FAQs