Gerard McKone

Senior Design Manager | State Leader - VIC

Gerard is a Senior Design Manager and COVA’s State Leader for Victoria. He is responsible for the technical coordination, compliance, quality assurance and delivery of fire, mechanical, electrical, lighting and hydraulic engineering services, working closely with clients and external stakeholders to achieve project objectives.

Gerard is experienced in construction management and design management throughout Australasia, with extensive retail development experience including roles as National Construction Manager for Kmart and Myer. Since joining COVA he has managed retail developments, refurbishments, new fitouts and base-build upgrades, alongside infrastructure upgrades and national rollouts for major retail clients.

His focus is working collaboratively with the COVA team to understand each client’s requirements and deliver tailored engineering solutions that balance functionality, compliance, commercial objectives and long-term value.

Gerard ran the fitout of COVA’s Melbourne office in Mirvac’s Olderfleet building at 477 Collins Street, opened in 2023. In 2025 he received the Jason Bodnar Award, COVA’s internal honour for the person who has gone above and beyond for the team.

A project he cites: stepping in after a critical failure of mechanical systems on an operational site, building a complete end-to-end model and site-specific engineering solutions, and challenging the client’s traditional procurement approach. Fast-tracked delivery and direct supplier engagement brought the project in significantly under budget and six months ahead of schedule.