Mark Opitz

When it comes to infrastructure, few companies can match the scale and ambition of ACCIONA. The Spanish multinational has become a global leader, with operations spanning from wind farms in Australia to water treatment facilities in North Africa. 

At the heart of ACCIONA’s growth is a commitment to sustainability that spans every aspect of its operations, as Mark Opitz, Group Head of ICT for ACCIONA’s Australia and New Zealand region, explains. “We invest in, develop and operate sustainable infrastructure solutions. And when we talk about sustainable infrastructure, we’re talking about solutions from design and construction right the way through to operations and maintenance.  Whether that's a wind farm, a toll road, a tunnel, a railway, or a solar farm, our objective is to improve people’s lives and make our planet more sustainable.”

With a career spanning over two decades, Mark’s career began in the consulting space, with a focus on auditing and small-scale consulting. This early experience laid the foundation for his future roles at larger firms. “From there, I went and joined bigger consulting firms such as Deloitte and Grant Thornton,” he recalls.

During his time in consulting, Mark gained experience across several sectors and project types. “We did a lot of technology projects,” he says, “and we also delivered operational projects– across the public sector, private sector, logistics, and capital projects – similar to what ACCIONA delivers today.”

A key moment in Mark’s career came just before he turned 30 when he took on a CFO role for a medium-sized roofing and cladding contractor in Australia – marking his transition from consulting to industry leadership. “That was dipping my toe in the water, taking responsibility of a substantial function of a reasonable-sized contractor back then. That was a huge learning curve,” he reflects.

After a brief return to consulting, Mark found himself drawn back to industry, this time as a freelance consultant focusing on delivering transformation work and ERP implementations. It was during this period that he began to delve deeper into technology projects, setting the stage for his current role at ACCIONA.

Today, as Group Head of ICT for ACCIONA’s Australia and New Zealand region, Mark oversees a wide range of technological responsibilities. “I'm responsible for IT across all business units in the region. That scope of technology goes right from user support to our on-prem and cloud infrastructure and network, to the provision of software and security.”

Mark’s team is structured to address various aspects of IT management, including software deployment, project management, architecture, end-user services and cybersecurity, allowing ACCIONA to maintain a robust and efficient IT infrastructure across its portfolio of sustainable infrastructure projects.

Mark explains: “The sectors in which we operate – mostly construction and energy in Australia – are typically not leaders in technology investment, nor are they rapid adopters of technology. We see that as a huge opportunity.”

ACCIONA has seized this opportunity by investing heavily in digital transformation initiatives. Mark and his team have implemented a strategy to standardise processes, centralise technology procurement and leverage data analytics across all its projects.

“We embarked on a very ambitious software development journey about three years ago, where we invested in something that today connects our construction sites to the rest of the business in many ways; capturing events, recording transactions, automating data integrations from suppliers and equipment – all enabling more efficient handling of information and enabling construction teams to make better decisions faster.” According to Mark, this venture into bespoke software offers a major competitive advantage and is the source of many things to come for ACCIONA. “From data science and AI, to larger scale automation and predictive tactics, this approach will deliver even more sustainable outcomes.”

Construction businesses, Mark highlights, are notorious for lacking a centralised technology procurement process, with shadow IT in these projects often comprising a significant portion of their IT expenditure. By centralising and standardising its technology approach, ACCIONA aims to reduce inefficiencies, improve knowledge transfer between projects and ultimately deliver better outcomes for clients, communities and the environment.

For ACCIONA's internal teams, this approach means greater consistency and efficiency as they move between projects. “As we transform this environment, projects become more portable, reducing disruption for staff members and increasing their confidence as they move between projects,” Mark says. “They know what they're doing – having done it before – and are familiar with the software and work methods. They now have access to accurate, timely and relevant information, enabling them to make better, quicker decisions and achieve high-quality outcomes for clients.”

Read the full report HERE.

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