Fiona Macpherson
Senior Facilities Engineer | Building Services & Asset Lifecycle Management
Brisbane
Executive Summary
Chartered Senior Facilities Engineer with comprehensive technical background in building services engineering, plant lifecycle management, and energy optimisation across commercial towers and critical industrial estates. Specialized in transforming asset operational performance through data-driven maintenance strategies and large-scale capital replacement projects in Queensland.
Professional Experience
Tinaroo Property Operations
Brisbane, QLD
Senior Facilities Engineer
Mar 2019 – Present
- Direct engineering operations, plant maintenance strategy, and statutory compliance across a portfolio of four premium commercial towers and technical centres totaling 140,000 square metres.
- Championed a central chiller plant and BMS modernisation programme, lifting portfolio average NABERS Energy ratings from 4.5 to 5.5 stars over a four-year cycle.
- Formulate multi-year strategic capital expenditure plans, managing an annual asset renewal budget of 8.5 million AUD with consistent on-budget delivery.
- Supervise a multidisciplinary team of building services technicians, commissioning contractors, and maintenance vendors under strict service-level agreements.
Kallangur Industrial Assets
Brisbane, QLD
Facilities Engineering Specialist
Aug 2013 – Feb 2019
- Administered mechanical and electrical plant asset management for two advanced manufacturing facilities and accompanying logistics warehouses.
- Introduced reliability-centred maintenance protocols and real-time vibration analysis across critical compressed air, HVAC, and power-generation infrastructure, cutting unplanned downtime by 28%.
- Ensured site-wide compliance with Queensland Work Health and Safety regulations, Australian Building Codes, and hazardous area standards.
- Led contractor management for plant overhauls, major switchboard replacements, and industrial water treatment plant upgrades.
Brisbane Gateway Precinct Services
Brisbane, QLD
Building Services Engineer
Jan 2009 – July 2013
- Managed preventive and reactive building services maintenance for mixed-use commercial office complexes and data suites.
- Audited energy and water performance metrics, rolling out VAV box retrofits and variable-speed drives across primary air-handling units.
- Organised emergency response plans, diesel generator load-bank testing, and fire protection system testing in accordance with AS 1851.
Education
The University of Queensland
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) · Mechanical Engineering · Brisbane, QLD · Second Class Honours, Division A · Feb 1983 – Nov 1986
Focus areas included fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, building mechanical services, and industrial plant systems.
Final-year capstone project centered on heat-load optimisation for commercial chiller loops in sub-tropical climates.
Key Engineering Projects
Central Energy Plant Modernisation
June 2021 – Sept 2022
- Engineered the replacement of three end-of-life screw chillers with magnetic-bearing centrifugal units, integrating automated sub-metering and dynamic head-pressure optimisation.
- Secured 210,000 AUD in regional energy efficiency incentives while maintaining uninterrupted operational cooling throughout full building occupancy.
Critical Power Redundancy Upgrade
Nov 2016 – Oct 2017
- Oversaw technical due diligence and integration of dual 1.5 MVA backup diesel generators, redundant static UPS infrastructure, and automatic transfer switches for financial tenants.
- Coordinated integrated system testing with local distribution networks without tenant business disruption.
Core Competencies
HVAC-R Systems Engineering
Building Management Systems (BMS)
Asset Lifecycle Management
Capital Expenditure (CapEx) Planning
NABERS Energy & Water Assessment
Reliability-Centred Maintenance (RCM)
Statutory Compliance & AS/NZS Standards
Contractor & Vendor Management
Emergency Power & UPS Systems
Root Cause Analysis
Languages
English
C2
Certifications & Registrations
Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) - Mechanical
Engineers Australia · Nov 2012
Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ)
Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland · June 2015
Certified Facility Manager (CFM)
Facility Management Association of Australia · Apr 2018
Community & Industry Involvement
Women in Engineering Queensland Mentoring Network
Brisbane, QLD · Feb 2018 – Present
- Senior Mentor
- Mentor early-career female engineers navigating chartered accreditation pathways and technical leadership roles within building services engineering.
- Review application documentation and facilitate career planning workshops aligned with Engineers Australia competencies.