Russell Shaw joins the elite
“Only those at the top of their game in engineering, and who have achieved outstanding results in their field, are conferred with the honour of becoming an Engineering New Zealand Fellow, and we are delighted that Top Energy chief executive Russell Shaw is one such individual.”
So said Top Energy Trust chairwoman Yvonne Sharp last week, after Mr Shaw’s induction.
“We are proud that Russell’s expertise and leadership have been recognised in this prestigious award from Engineering New Zealand,” Mrs Sharp added.
Over the last decade he had set about improving the reliability and resilience of the Far North’s electricity network, focusing from the outset on safety, business improvement and core business operations.
He had also implemented network and generation growth strategies worth around $430 million, including the currently under way major expansion of the Ngawha geothermal power station, which would ultimately provide more than enough generation to meet the region’s needs.
Mr Shaw was a respected industry leader who was well positioned to lead Top Energy through the technological changes and challenges that were facing the sector.
He had articulated the company’s long-term vision in a short-animated video, ‘Energy of the Future,’ which could be viewed at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=s_YQLwWLJTA
The fellowship, along with this year’s President’s Medals and Maclean Citation, were conferred in Wellington.