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Team

Meet our talented people.

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Alex Raichev

Researcher and Developer

Throughout his career, Alex has worked as a professional researcher and developer on a variety of technical projects, both theoretical and applied. 

Since joining MRCagney, he has analysed and visualized heaps of civic data (housing, walking & cycling, transit), creating tools for data-driven decision making. 

Alex enjoys designing mathematical and algorithmic solutions to complex problems, learning new things, working on teams, and using his skills to benefit society.

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Amber Carran-Fletcher

Operations Manager and Senior Consultant

Amber is a transport planner based at MRCagney’s Auckland office. She has three years experience in commercial vehicle planning at DDOT in Washington, D.C. 


Amber’s experience includes transport planning and research, policy development, and project management. Her work has focused on freight and urban logistics, commercial bus planning, air quality impacts and development review. 

Other projects have included managing motorcoach operations for the presidential inauguration in 2012, and developing an integrated commuter bus and rideshare plan for Washington, D.C.


Amber is interested in finding innovative and sustainable ways to move people and goods to support the development of vibrant and liveable urban spaces. 
 

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Bridget Doran

Principal Researcher

Bridget is a chartered engineer and researcher. She has seventeen  years’ experience in transport policy, design, community engagement, and participatory planning.

Bridget is recognised as a leading thinker in inclusiveness and human-centred planning in transport in New Zealand. She has worked on local community projects through to national and international research to challenge and improve best practice.

Bridget has particular interest in human diversity, including understanding the ways people think and behave, as well as differences across populations. She has a Masters of Engineering in transportation from the University of Canterbury, and a PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Waikato.

Recently Bridget has worked with Hamilton City and Waikato Regional Councils on engagement and research to explore links between transport, participation, and wellbeing. She is part of a research team led by the University of Auckland studying the contribution of streetscapes to the health of older and disabled people in Auckland. Her PhD research was a study of mind wandering during driving, including the links between inattention and crash risk.

Bridget’s unique perspective allows her to see system challenges and opportunities across all aspects of transport decision making. Her research background ensures she brings evidence to every project, while her focus on people and humanness provides meaningful and worthy outcomes for each community she works for.

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Claire Graham

Senior Walking and Cycling Consultant

Claire has been working in the field of urban design and landscape architecture for twelve years, with the last five years focused on infrastructure design for active modes. She is passionate about the role well designed infrastructure in our streets can play, to provide transport choices and create cities where everyone feels included, safe and welcomed.

She has expertise in streetscape design, intersection layout and operation, and universal access. She also works confidently through the scales of projects from network design right through to details at the street level. With the combination of public and private sector experience as well as a recent bicycle study tour to Europe, she brings a good understanding of the challenges, opportunities and value of investing and designing for active modes.

Some of her recent work includes: improving access to public transport interchanges, developing a detail (detectable by vision impaired) that could be installed between footpath and cycle paths, developing content for Auckland Transport’s Design Manual and part of several teams designing Urban Cycleway Projects.

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Danielle Gatland

Senior Consultant - Transport Planning, Data and Economics

Danielle is a consultant specialising in transport planning, data science and economics. She has experience in project management, business cases, economic assessments and data science projects.Danielle has been the technical lead on numerous projects, including developing bespoke web-based data dashboards, completing economic assessments for transport projects, and providing inputs across all components of business cases.

Danielle has an honours degree in engineering (Engineering Science) and a bachelor’s degree in commerce. Her background in these subjects gives her the basis to approach any problem with an open mind and to be able to develop solutions and provide advice that are meaningful and understandable by people of a range of various backgrounds.

Danielle has experience managing projects and delivering inputs across all parts of business cases. Recently this included the Short Term Airport Access Improvements Single Stage Business Case (SSBC) and the combined Airport to Botany and 20Connect SSBC. She has provided economics advice on transport projects such as Airport to Botany SSBC, Connected Communities Network Assessment, Golden Mile SSBC and State Highway 16 Cycle Path Economics Update. Danielle has also led the development of data dashboards on projects such as a Housing and Business Capacity Assessment for Whangārei and Measuring Pedestrian Delay for the City of Melbourne.

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Darren Davis

Technical Director

Darren works in the tricky nexus between land use, placemaking and movement. Put simply, there’s no point having place without movement to get there and no point having movement with no place to go.

Darren has 25 years' experience in transport and land use, including being a lobbyist, planner, strategist, communicator and consultant. He has been involved in projects ranging from high level strategic policy advice; successfully influencing regional and central government agencies; to on-the-ground involvement in major transport infrastructure and land-use projects; doing public transport service design; carrying out high-level policy and strategy work as well as being a key team member on transit oriented development projects. 

Darren has worked on projects of all scales across New Zealand (and some work in Australia) from Auckland’s New Network for Public Transport through to the Milford Sound Masterplan and is comfortable working at all altitudes from strategic planning through to operational implementation.

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Fiona Nutsford

Senior Consultant

Fiona is a transport and research analyst with a range of experience in transport planning, policy and research. Fiona works across various transport planning and research projects at MRCagney, including as a project manager. 

Fiona has qualifications in Geography and Journalism, with experience working in health publishing prior to working in transport. She is passionate about the role that the built environment plays in health outcomes. Fiona has strong research and analytical skills and makes use of GIS and data analysis to contribute to her research and planning work.

At MRCagney, Fiona has led various research workstreams, including international research reviews on Travel Demand Management and working from home policy. She has also contributed to research into the methods for measuring greenhouse gas emissions reductions from land transport projects and equity within Auckland’s transport system.

Fiona has been involved in the development of business cases for large public transport projects, including the Airport to Botany programme and the Northwest public transport improvements for Auckland.

Fiona is a member of Engineering New Zealand’s Transportation Group.

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Jenson Varghese

Managing Director

Jenson is a transportation planner and engineer with a broad range of experience in project management, transport planning and business case consulting. As MRCagney’s Managing Director, Jenson is responsible for managing a multi-disciplinary team of urban planners, urban designers, economists, and sustainable transport specialists.

Jenson has qualifications in engineering, transport and economics and brings an in-depth understanding of public transport planning together with land use and transport planning and economics.  Jenson has a history of successfully managing, delivering and overseeing a wide range of high profile transport projects in New Zealand and Australia. 

He was the past chair of the IPENZ Transport Group Auckland Branch and a former board member of ACE NZ. Jenson was a previous recipient of the ACE NZ Future Leaders Award. Jenson is currently on the steering committee for the Diversity Agenda  which aims to dramatically improve all facets of diversity and inclusion in the engineering and architecture sectors. 

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Jesse Prendergast

Consultant - Transport Planning/Data Science

Jesse is a consultant specialising in data science, tranport planning and modelling, and economics. Jesse has experience in project management, business cases, parking strategy and economic assessment.

Since 2020, Jesse has lead MRCagney's emissions modelling work, creating bespoke web-based dashboards for communication, engagement and planning for regional and national transport emissions reduction.

Jesse has a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Engineering Science from the University of Auckland. Drawing on a background of applied mathematics and computer science, he can provide a fresh perspective on transportation problems both classic and emerging. Jesse also has a Masters of Operation Research from the University of Auckland, where he researched the simulation and optimisation of demand-responsive transit.

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Jo Gascoigne

Senior Transport Planner

Jo is a senior transport planner with a wide range of experience in project management, concept design, workshop facilitation and transport research. She has led projects involving the disability sector, transport service providers and local communities which have focussed on inclusive access, wellbeing, road safety, and sustainable transport.  

Jo has a Bachelor of Resource Studies and a Postgraduate Certificate in Planning. She has a wide range of experience from working in London to delivering urban and rural transport projects around New Zealand. She has experience in road safety design and analysis, workshop facilitation (including Community Street Reviews), and undertaking transport research, active transport, inclusive access, and transport mobility.   

Jo has undertaken project management on a wide range of transport planning projects. She was a key team member in the delivery of the ‘Total Mobility – Transport Needs in Northland’ project and successfully co-delivered a Rural Transport and Wellbeing study undertaken in South Waikato. Jo has led innovative research projects including the Ashburton three stage 20km/h bus sign trial and had an integral part in a series of pedestrian studies for Hamilton city leading to the roll out of the city’s first wayfinding pilot project. 

Jo is an Affiliate Member of Engineering New Zealand.

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Kent Lundberg

Technical Director

Kent is an urban planner/designer with twenty years’ experience working in the urban planning, landscape architecture, and real estate services fields in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. 

Kent is one of the leading Walking and Cycling specialists in Auckland. He works through the design scales from regional network planning down to detailed designs at street level. 

Kent has particular expertise in liveable street design, public transport integration, and cycleway planning and design. Kent holds a Masters of Urban Design from the University of Auckland and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning from the University of California at Santa Barbara. 

Kent’s unique experience allows him to bring together inputs from transport planning, urban design, walking, cycling and public transportation to improve project designs and decisions. He has been the technical and project lead for several key strategic cycleway projects in Auckland, including the recent Cycling Programme Business Case (2018 – 2028) and the Auckland Street Design Guide. 

Kent is also working on several town centre redevelopments bringing his expertise in street design, parking, walking and cycling and public transport integration to support accessible, successful redevelopment projects.

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Lewis Thorwaldson

Senior Public Transport Planner

Lewis is a senior planner at MRCagney’s Auckland office providing public transport operations and strategy advice on projects throughout New Zealand and Australia. His experience includes public transit operations and network planning at MTA New York City Transit; traffic engineering consulting; and graduate public and active transport research. He is particularly fascinated by how human biases and heuristics impact behaviour within complex urban systems. He holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Lewis brought his unique experience to Auckland in 2017. His background working with engineers, planners and developers within the public, private, and academic sectors allows him to understand the language of various stakeholders and build effective paths to comprehensive solutions.

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Marita Hunt

Urban Designer

Marita is a landscape architect with a decade’s worth of experience in design planning, urban design, masterplanning, and public realm design.

Comfortable working across wide and close scales, Marita works on urban design and transport strategy projects at MRCagney. Her design skills and experience help her communicate clear solutions for clients.

Marita is interested in mode shift, sustainable transport, and the way good places can have a positive effect on people and communities. She has personal and professional experience in Te Ao Māori, and recently completed a master's degree in creative writing. Her skills in communication see her managing graphic and visual presentation for MRCagney.

Marita is an experienced project manager and has led projects for clients such as Eke Pānuku, Wellington City Council, Kainga Ora, Waka Kotahi, and The New Zealand Defence Force.

Recent projects Marita has worked on at MRC include Te Aro Tātou, a low-traffic transport strategy for Wellington City Centre, and Maungawhau and Karangahape Station Area Development Plans for Eke Pānuku.

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Paul Buckle

Senior Transport Planner

Paul is a transport planner with more than 10 years’ experience in transport and project management in Aotearoa.

Before joining MRCagney, Paul worked at Auckland Transport and Eke Panuku, working on projects ranging from walking and cycling projects, tactical urbanism, parking management and public realm upgrades. Projects included:

  • Ian McKinnon Cycleway
  • Herne Bay Walking and Cycling improvements
  • Westhaven to City Cycle Route
  • Federal Street Walking and Cycling improvements
  • Waitemata Safe Routes
  • Pukekohe Innovating Streets

Since joining MRCagney, Paul has worked on and led projects including:

  • Dunedin Parking Framework
  • Palmerston North Parking Framework
  • Fire and Emergency New Zealand Traffic Calming study

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Nicolas Reid

Principal Public Transport Planner

Nicolas is a transport planner and ergonomist with ten years’ experience working in transport planning, human factors ergonomics, and related research fields in New Zealand and Australia. As a sustainable-transport advocate Nicolas endeavours to develop integrated transport and land use outcomes that are economically robust, socially proactive and environmentally sustainable.

His recent projects have included light rail network design, suburban rail service planning, the development of bus rapid transit corridors for urban and suburban areas, and network design for multi-modal public transport systems including Auckland’s New Network. In particular, Nicolas has been the network planning lead on the Auckland Light Rail Project and Darwin Public Transport Network Review, and technical lead on Northwestern Busway Preliminary Engineering Assessments

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Priya Wagh

Finance Manager

Priya has worked in various roles in Accounts and Finance in New Zealand for over 12 years. Prior to this she worked as a Management Consultant in India. She has been with MRCagney since 2007 and loves the diversity of her role with the company

Priya has Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Master’s degree in Management majoring in Finance from the University of Bombay

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Pippa Mitchell

Technical Director

Pippa has over fifteen years’ experience working as a transportation consultant in Auckland.  She has extensive project management expertise and has been involved a wide range of transit projects from inception to construction, including the roll out of the New Network in Auckland and the public transport response to City Rail Link (CRL) enabling works.

Pippa has worked with a range of engineers, planners and urban designers and has a background in public transport, cycling and walking, road safety, peer reviews and the Auckland Transport resolution process.

Pippa has a PhD in Geography from the University of Auckland and her academic background provides her with a variety of research and communications skills as well as an alternative but complimentary perspective on projects. 

Pippa also has particular expertise in consultation, having previously researched the roll of public consultation in Council decision making for her Master’s degree.  She has been involved the consultation processes for a range of project from small scale bus stops to wider changes such as for the CRL.

She was previously the Chair of the Auckland/Northland Branch of the Transportation Group NZ from 2015-2016 and also sat on the IPENZ Transportation Group National Committee and Conference Committee

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Rachel Lees-Green

Senior Consultant

Rachel is a transport consultant with a focus on planning for public transport and walking. Rachel has considerable experience in developing business cases for transport investment, with involvement in projects ranging from strategic cases through to single stage business cases. She is proficient at evaluating transport and economic outcomes arising from public transport projects and other projects relating to transport and urban development. She is also a capable project manager with a keen eye for detail.

Rachel has a BE (Hons) and PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Auckland. She has also completed training in Traffic Engineering and Public Transport Planning. Her academic background provided her with a strong grounding in modelling, research, and working with people across different disciplines.  Rachel’s shift to the transport industry was motivated by her passion for creating healthier and more sustainable cities.

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Richard Hart

Transport Engineer

Richard is a transport engineer with experience in traffic impact assessments, road safety investigations, research studies, business case development and economic analysis. Richard is passionate about improving equitable access to opportunities and decarbonising transport.

Richard has an honours degree in engineering (Civil Engineering) and a bachelor’s degree in economics. The intersection of these qualifications provides him with a good foundation for understanding the complex relationships between the built environment and economic outcomes. As part of his studies, Richard spent two semesters abroad where he was exposed to contrasting urban settings, cultural contexts, and transport solutions which allows him a broad perspective on transport projects.

Richard is known for his consistency in delivery, working to a high standard under time constraints. In his previous work, he was involved in road safety investigations for the Waka Kotahi Safety Boost Programme, research for the Infrastructure Commission, and business case development for the Auckland Network Optimisation SSBC.  At MRCagney, Richard has contributed to loading and servicing plans, evaluation reports for Innovating Streets, and research into transport equity.

Richard is a member of Engineering New Zealand’s Transportation Group.

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Sam Hood

Civil Engineer

Sam is a Civil Engineer with experience in detailed design, particularly focussing on street design. He is passionate about improving transport choice and safety in our cities through improved infrastructure for active modes and public transport.

Following graduation from The University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Engineering, Sam developed much of his experience through five years working in land development, leading design of several residential developments ranging between 24 and 550 homes.

Due to the scales and locations of these projects, largely in the Flat Bush and Redhills development areas of Auckland, Sam has developed expertise overcoming the challenges of designing effective infrastructure for all users and uses, catering not only for future residents, but also retrofitting existing roads to provide more equitable transport choice. This has included designing streets and intersections to safely support active modes, buses and heavy traffic in constrained environments, retrofitting pedestrian improvements and protected cycleways onto existing roads, and designing sections of the Flat Bush Shared Path network.

Sam’s experience also extends through to construction observation, through which he has developed an understanding of the practicalities of construction, as well as the important role implementation plays in ensuring great outcomes.

At MRCagney, Sam uses these skills across a broad range of projects, including design of Auckland Light Rail supporting infrastructure, temporary street designs associated with the disruptions response for the City Rail Link, and is involved in development of a Training Programme for the Auckland Transport Design Manual (AT TDM).

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Sascha Brook

Senior Business Administrator

Sascha has worked in various Board Secretarial and Administration Manager roles over the last 14 years with much of her work being within the Not for Profit and Charities sector. Supporting organisations that are focused on affecting change, celebrating diversity, and supporting the disadvantaged within their community is her passion. She enjoys diverse roles that encompass managerial support and governance as well as systems and process improvement.

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Scott Ebbett

Principal consultant

Scott is a principal transport consultant who has worked in local government and consulting in both Australia and New Zealand. Scott has a wide-ranging skillset that includes strategic transport planning, policy development, relationship management and community engagement. Scott is an expert in developing tailored parking management strategies to help cities achieve wider strategic goals such as transport mode shift, emissions reduction, and healthy streets. Scott is also an expert in city logistics and how this sector is rapid adjusting in response to traffic reduction measures.  

Scott has a Post Graduate Diploma in Planning and Environment and brings several years’ experience working in land-use planning and transport. Scott has worked as a consents planner and strategic planner in roles in Australia. In New Zealand Scott worked at Auckland Transport for ten years mostly in parking management and strategy development. Scott has a solid knowledge of integrated transport planning. Scott has managed teams in the public sector. 

Scott was the chief architect of the successful changes to parking management introduced in Auckland over the past ten years. At MRCagney Scott has led several projects and become an expert in how parking management can help a city achieve its strategic goals.

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Shane Martin

Principal Economist

Shane is an economist with 14 years of experience in transport and urban economics in both the United States and New Zealand.

As MRCagney’s Principal Economist, Shane is responsible for leading work on economic analyses and business cases and works closely with the data science team.

Shane has significant experience modelling the impacts of land-use policies on the housing market in New Zealand and how land-use and transport policies work together to shape our cities.

Shane has a PhD in Economics and a long career of working with large, complex datasets using a variety of tools such as SAS, GIS, and R. His most valuable skill is his ability to explain complex modelling in easy-to-understand, everyday language, ensuring that the work can be understood by experts and non-experts alike.

Before coming to MRCagney, Shane worked in the Chief Economist Unit at Auckland Council where he provided economic advice to council staff and elected officials. He has performed research on Auckland’s Rural-Urban Boundary, the intermediate housing market, population movements before and during covid, and reviewed numerous business cases and cost-benefit analyses. Selections of his work have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals and presented at various conferences. 

Shane was selected as part of Auckland Council’s Talent Programme, has served on a committee of the National Transportation Research Board (US), and was a recipient of the Lerner College of Business’ Excellence in Teaching award. 

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Stuart Crosswell

Senior Planner

Stuart is an environmental planner with a broad range of experience in both regulatory and policy planning, including specialist experience in sustainable transport. As a senior planner at MRCagney, Stuart works with a range of disciplines on projects across New Zealand.

Stuart has bachelor’s degree in planning from the University of Auckland, giving him a strong basis for applying sound principles of community interest and sustainability, and recognising the value of good information and integration in the design and decision-making process.  Stuart has extensive experience on the policy and regulatory sides of urban, rural, and natural resource development, and specialises in the area of transport planning and regulatory measures for the preparation and implementation of sustainable transport strategies. 

Stuart has considerable expertise in transport-related and general district plan provisions, as well as in parking policy and parking management. Examples include working with Hamilton City Council to implement Vision Zero principles in the Peacockes Structure Plan Area; leading the preparation of parking management plans for several Auckland town centres; development of Waka Kotahi's parking management guidance; station access studies for several train and bus stations in Auckland; and strategic advice for the transport provisions of the Queenstown District Plan.  

Stuart is a full member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and is a member of the New Zealand Parking Association.

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