NATURAL HAZARDS CONSULTING - Key Persons
Andrew comes from a leadership background in operational meteorology, with a track record in services, in connecting science and community, and critical event management.
Andrew's early career was as a tropical meteorologist in the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in a range of areas, along with some ‘out of the box' experiences such as being a specialist sailing forecaster at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He then made a cross-disciplinary connection into the world of volcanic eruptions, completing a PhD largely in the shadow of Japan's Mount Sakuarajima, focusing on improving the science and management of volcanic clouds within the context of the global aviation warning system for these clouds, the International Airways Volcano Watch. Andrew also collaborated with others in studying fire-initiated thunderstorms (pyro-cumulonimbus, or cumulonimbus flammagenitus), an emerging hazard in countries subject to bushfires such as Australia and the USA.
Andrew's later roles include being the manager of the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, the Bureau's Northern Territory Manager, and the head of the National Operations Centre in Melbourne, where he was also the co-director of Australia's Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre. Before starting Natural Hazards Consulting, Andrew also spent several years as the Victorian State Manager for the Bureau. Along the way, Andrew has managed many tropical cyclone, flood, severe thunderstorm, volcanic eruption, tsunami, and bushfire events, as well as representing Australia in international roles.
Since starting Natural Hazards Consulting in 2020, Andrew has focused on improving multi-hazard early warning systems, at the international, regional, national and local levels. He is particularly interested in bridging operational gaps between disciplines, and doing so on a sustainable, long-term basis.