Last month, we announced the appointment of Oliver Ciano as Director at Geodetica. This month, we are thrilled to announce that Suraj Paniker will also join us as Geodetica’s newest Director.
Suraj comes to us after forging an impressive career where he spent more than a decade with the Department of Defence in project management, followed by a role as Principal Project Manager with Beca Group for 7 years.
As a qualified chemical engineer, Suraj has specialist experience working within explosive ordinance and maritime warfare systems, and has led large teams delivering an array of complex projects.
“After university, I joined the Explosive Ordinance Branch in Sydney as an engineer before moving up to team lead and then into logistics where I was able to build a holistic view on supply management,” says Suraj. “10 years went by and I found myself in need of a change. So when the opportunity came up to work in electronic warfare for the HMAS Collins submarines in Canberra, I didn’t hesitate.”
Suraj and his young family have lived in Canberra ever since, despite originally planning to move here for just 3 years.
“There were so many opportunities to work on great projects in our nation’s capital, and I ended up moving across to Beca Group where I went into the C5000 Program delivering project management support. It was there that I met Jason and we clicked right away.”
During his time with Beca Group, Suraj helped develop and implement long term strategic plans for Defence and the national security space, and worked within Defence’s Fuel Service Branch and maritime integrated warfare systems.
“After the pandemic I decided it was time for a change, and the opportunity to join Jason at Geodetica was too good to pass up. The company has a lot of Jason’s DNA – it’s open, friendly, and very people-centric.
“Geodetica’s culture is all about providing great support to clients and staff, and I’m very excited to be a part of that. I’m also excited to help the business grow. Between Jason, Oliver and myself we have a wealth of experience providing program management and governance support to the public sector; particularly within Defence.”
Suraj believes that passing on this knowledge and upskilling project team members – whether they be APS or otherwise – is key to success.
“It’s difficult to find people with a certain level of experience, so it’s vital that those who have it pass it on to uplift others and instil confidence. We currently have skills shortages in Canberra which is why it’s never been more important to take everyone along for a journey and go beyond just doing the work. You want to explain what you are doing and why, and this sharing of ideas and experience ensures that projects are not only completed effectively but that people then have the skills to confidently tackle the next project.”
Outside of work, you’ll find Suraj spending as much quality time as he can with his family.
“My downtime involves driving my girls to and from their extracurricular activities on weekends, as well as catching up with family in Sydney whenever we can. Canberra is so convenient – you can literally fit in 10 activities before you hit lunchtime. It’s a great community and a great place to bring up kids.”
Moving forward, Suraj is keen to get stuck into Geodetica’s exciting and high end projects where he knows he can add value to clients.
“Working with Geodetica is not just about filling a seat; it’s about garnering your expertise and uplifting others. To be able to provide that type of support to the private and public sectors, especially Defence, is invaluable.”