MEET BRIAN DOWNIE – 116TH PRESIDENT OF SAICE 
26 June 2019
The story below is based on a news release issued by the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE), and on an article in SAICE Civil Engineering magazine.
The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) inaugurated Queen’s graduate Brian Downie as its 116th President of the Institution at a ceremony held at La Toscana in Montecasino in Johannesburg, in November 2018.
A consultant with Royal HaskoningDHV, he has held a variety of positions over the past 37 years in the Transport and Planning fields.
Born in Ireland Brian attended Queen’s in the late 1960s where he had an interest in rowing and dabbled in student politics, before graduating with a BSc in Civil Engineering in 1970.
Working in construction prior to immigrating to South Africa in the seventies, the major part of Brian’s career has been spent in the fields of project and construction management, but a passion for communication has permeated his professional life.
He served as chairman of the SAICE Durban Branch in 1992/3, as member of the SAICE Council and chairman of the SAICE Public and Internal Relations Committee from 1994 to 1998, as SAICE Vice-President in 1999, and as active member of the SAICE Durban Branch over all these years.
In 1994 he was appointed by the Minister of Public Works in South Africa to assist in the coordination and promotion of the built environment professions. In 2002 he was elected to the Executive Committee of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) and subsequently became chairman of their Public Relations Committee.
In his professional career here in South Africa he has had many business cards, but only worked for two companies. First he worked for Van Niekerk, Kleyn and Edwards (now SMEC). Then, in 1981, he joined Bradford Conning and Partners and, by the amalgamations which have become the norm in the engineering world, BCP Engineers, SSI Engineers, and now Royal HaskoningDHV. Ostensibly retired, he still provides consulting and mentoring services to RHDHV.
His Presidential theme – It’s a New World – is focused on Education, Entrepreneurship and Employment. The primary focus on education will be achieved through the extension of existing initiatives with the Department of Basic Education in South Africa.
Speaking during his installation, Brian Downie said: “Today, with the advent of smart phones, we are proposing an ambitious relationship with the Khan Academy (supported by the Gates Foundation) which will offer a set of online tools to help educate students. The Department of Basic Education already has the Khan Academy videos translated into isiZulu and isiXhosa”.
In parallel with the schools initiative, he is proposing a strategic technology partnership with The MakerSpace Foundation that currently works with people from all ages and backgrounds, leveraging disruptive technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution such as 3D printers, to help people make things that improve the world around them.
“By lowering the barrier of entry for people to develop their own solutions using technology, The MakerSpace Foundation is inviting the members of SAICE to become innovators, and to innovate for good”, he said.
Brian was chairman of the SAICE Durban Branch during a pivotal period in South Africa’s history, in the lead up to the first democratic elections. He was subsequently appointed by the Minister of Public Works to assist in the formation of the Council for the Built Environment (CBE). He served on SAICE Council for seven years becoming Chairman of the Public and Internal Relations committee as well as Vice-President for Branches.
He has been active in a number of engineering industry organisations. In 2005 he was elected to the Executive Committee of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) for a period of five years, serving as the Chairman of the Marketing and Communications Committee.
He is deeply passionate about the future that faces the youth of South Africa as the Fourth Industrial Revolution becomes a reality. In his current role as a hands-on user and a lecturer in 3D printing, he sees both great promise as well as peril. He believes we have a limited time in which to guide, educate and mentor young people in the technologies of the 21st century.
The third phase of the theme will empower young members to secure employment and to grow within the companies they work for. Downie is calling on our young members to assist in the development of these strategies. SAICE will continue to work for the good of South Africa – and all its members.
Brian writes regular articles for Business in Durban and The Ridge magazines, and he has co-authored two books on the history of civil engineering in South Africa (Visionaries – Past, Present & Future, and Travels in the South – a History of South African Roads).
Married to Linda – whom he has known since their school days in Northern Ireland – the couple have two daughters: Justine is a veterinarian who lives in Auckland New Zealand with Brian’s granddaughter, Jessica and Simone who studied business science and is currently based in London.
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For more information on SAICE visit www.saice.org.za; for further details on the SAICE Presidency, please contact: Nadeena Le’ Tang, or telephone: 011 805 5947.
To submit graduate news items, or for general enquiries about this story, please contact Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office, Queen's University Belfast or telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 5321.
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