Patrick Lun

As a high school student in Hong Kong, Patrick Lun witnessed a time of teeming construction activity throughout Asia, including the building of mass transit systems, tunnels and dams. The effect of such infrastructure on improving the region's economy, as well as on the day-to-day lives of its citizens, inspired him to become a civil engineer.

Today, as Deputy Chief Operating Officer (COO) of PB International, Patrick has the opportunity to help boost PB's presence worldwide. He is responsible for spearheading a strategy that is enabling the firm to expand its business and diversify into new market sectors within rapidly developing countries such as India and China.

"PB is committed to China for the long run," Patrick says. "The firm already has five offices and 400 staff based full-time in the country—and the number is growing—along with a staff of 450 based in Hong Kong and Macau. In addition, India is another market with great potential for growth."

As development increases in both countries, Patrick says PB will continue to focus on securing its foothold within the transportation sector, where the firm has already established a presence with projects such as the Delhi Metro in India and mass transit systems in Shenzhen and Shanghai, China. He specifically sees PB pursuing opportunities in build-operate-transfer initiatives as well as in publicly and privately funded infrastructure projects.

Patrick says the firm will contribute to the region's growth not only through building and designing infrastructure, but through the sharing of knowledge and industry best practices with clients and partners.

"PB works on technically challenging projects that incorporate the latest international design and project management tools and practices," he says. "Ultimately such skills and knowledge are conveyed to clients and teaming partners during the project cycle. This has resulted in PB being able to undertake projects that satisfy both international codes and standards and also meet local government regulations."

According to Patrick, the main challenge that PB faces in Asia is the fact that each country—the firm has 26 offices in 11 nations in the region—features different languages, cultures, regulations and policies.

"To be successful, PB has to harness local talents and provide opportunities for them to grow within the firm," he says. "PB's strength is that it can complement these local skills with its regional and international resources."

Patrick joined the firm in 1989 as Manager of PB Australia's geotechnical group. He spent 12 years in key positions in Australia before being named Director of Operations for the Asia-Pacific region in 2001, a position where he oversaw a successful restructuring of the region's operations as well as PB's rapidly growing efforts in China and South Korea.

In November 2005, Patrick was named Deputy COO of PB International, which covers the firm's non-Americas-based operations, including the Europe-Africa-Middle East (EAME) and Asia-Pacific regions. He is responsible for promoting synergy among PB's various business groups to stimulate growth and to increase efficiency.

Keith Hawksworth, President and COO of PB International, says, "Patrick has greatly helped in improving the performance of the Asia-Pacific region through the introduction of operational rigor based on his fine understanding of what is involved in developing a performance-oriented culture in our industry—and his commitment and efforts on behalf of PB."

Patrick says the greatest advantage of working for PB is the emphasis the firm places on the professional development of his employees. "PB provides real opportunities for its staff to develop professionally and personally through world-class projects both in their local offices and internationally," he says. "In addition, the firm supports these efforts with first-class resources that make the pursuit of engineering excellence possible. This kind of commitment is reflected in the integrity and professionalism of PB's employees."