10 February 2026
Each year, we recognise the legacy of NDY’s founder, David Norman, through the David Norman Young Engineer of the Year Award. This celebrates the emerging engineers making a tangible impact through technical excellence, initiative and exceptional client focus.
Our winner of this year’s award is Justin Mckee. Based in our Sydney office, he’s recognised for his ability to bring clarity to complex challenges, strong technical direction and excellent client engagement which leads to lasting partnerships.
Justin also contributes actively to NDY’s future – supporting the mission critical sector and helping attract the next generation of engineers through graduate engagement and talent outreach.
This is a short interview with Justin which gives you an insight into what shapes his engineering mindset.
What does it mean to you to receive this award?
It’s a really big honour to be recognised in this way.
The main highlight for me was the recognition itself – being announced to the company and having people see me internationally.
Another highlight was the timing of the award. I’m currently transitioning into a different role within the business and having that recognition back me up and give me confidence in this new role is really exciting.
Who’s influenced your engineering mindset the most?
I can’t think of a single person but I’ve always resonated with a certain type of person – those who think independently.
When you’re facing a problem, it’s not always about asking – what did we do last time?
One example is a university professor I had at UNSW, David Kellerman, who pioneered recording lectures and online engagement for engineering courses. What drove that was – I see an opportunity we can solve. Having people like that around me as I was progressing definitely rubbed off.
Consulting engineering is exactly where we apply that mindset – coming into projects early, challenging assumptions and developing performance-based solutions.
Tell us about an engineering outcome you’re really proud of.
Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time on a major project in the industrial sector which isn’t often associated with building services. I’ve been working with a large supermarket chain to implement advanced robotic packing systems.
To provide electrical, data and compressed air services to highly automated robotics, you first need to understand how those systems work, what their parameters are and how the supply chain and warehouse operate. Retrofitting something like that requires a deep understanding of the whole business model.
For me, it was about learning how these systems worked and incorporating that into a services design which I hadn’t done before.
Recently, I attended the grand opening and saw the robotics in action. It was a fantastic moment to see the automation working and know we played a role in connecting those services.
Tell us about a technical problem you solved that seemed impossible at first.
Another project was in a shopping centre in Sydney. Like many existing assets, documentation was missing – not only was it not provided, but the client didn’t know where it was.
The project became a search-and-rescue exercise across the site. We were locating plant rooms, distribution boards and equipment. The asset owner had only recently acquired the site, so they didn’t know what was there.
At first, I genuinely didn’t see a path forward. It wasn’t our normal delivery model. But, with an independent mindset, it became a case of – someone has to do this, why can’t it be us?
I travelled to site weekly, explored the building, tested keys and eventually uncovered archived documents and paper manuals. From there, we were able to pull together enough information to begin a design.
A year later, we’ve successfully replaced multiple chiller plant fans and are now working on cooling towers – things that previously weren’t even thought possible.
What’s a skill you wish was taught at university but wasn’t?
I make a point of returning to universities each year to talk with students. When I first started my career, I applied for a graduate role in building services engineering without really knowing what it was. That experience introduced me to this field and I realised there was an entire world of career opportunities I’d never heard of.
Many students feel pressure about where they’ll work. They think about mechanical engineering and assume it means car manufacturing or aeronautics as there’s no car manufacturing in Australia and they assume there’s no space program. So, they’re passionate about what they study but don’t see where it fits.
I wish the building services industry was more visible at university. It’s not so much a skill that’s missing, but an awareness of a career path where we urgently need more engineers.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received and how did it change you?
Within weeks of starting in the industry, I learned the acronym RTFM – read the *** manual.
At first, it shocked me, but the message was clear – as an engineer, you need to work things out. You can’t wait for someone else to explain it. You need to research, pull information together and resolve the problem yourself.
Over time, experience adds to that process. If you don’t try to solve things independently, you become a burden on a project.
I still apply that mindset at NDY, particularly on projects like the retail asset with missing documentation. We could have said it couldn’t be done but engineers solve problems. We step up to find answers for our clients.
What’s one thing your team would be surprised to learn about what you do?
During COVID, I took up lockpicking.
You receive a lock with hidden contents and need to select the right tools, apply the correct force, memorise sequences and develop patience.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. You have to understand what’s happening behind the scenes and how the mechanism fundamentally works which is very similar to engineering problem-solving.
In 5 years’ time, where would you like the industry to be?
As innovation accelerates, engineering workflows are becoming faster and easier. But, it’s also becoming harder for young engineers to learn foundational skills.
Engineers with over 10 years’ experience often started with repetitive manual calculations that built strong foundations. Today, automation and AI remove many of those learning opportunities.
In 5 years, I’d like to see the industry recognise this emerging skills gap and work with universities and organisations to address it. I don’t like seeing a divide between senior engineers who deeply understand processes and graduates who may never get the same learning opportunities.
Is there something about you that not many people know?
People are often surprised by the passion I have for supporting young engineers. I had a challenging start to my career, beginning during COVID with limited contact with colleagues and it was isolating.
I’m very sympathetic to that experience and try to invest time in supporting others. People sometimes ask what I get out of it – it’s about paying it forward. Others were there for me and I want to do the same.
