Meet Chris Ryan

Q: What do you love about being a marine biologist?

CR: As kids growing up in Sydney, we spent a lot of time in or near the water, swimming at beaches, exploring rockpools and sailing small boats on Pittwater. At the end of high school, I took a gap year with a couple of friends and travelled to Cape York in an old FJ Landcruiser. On the way back through Cairns, we did an open water scuba course. I was hooked.

At home in Sydney, I went to university studying business and tried to maintain an interest during accounting lectures. I was diving and snorkelling on the weekends and during breaks (when I wasn’t working or studying), but it wasn’t enough. I dropped out of business and moved to North Queensland to study marine biology.

I took every opportunity to go diving. I constantly checked the notice boards where post-grads were looking for volunteers to help on field trips to Orpheus or Lizard Island, or to help in the lab. I worked with and learnt from these young scientists and watched many of them become world-renowned experts in their fields. After university, I became a field biologist, getting paid to spend about 150-200 days a year underwater. I was living the dream!

Q: Tell us about your consulting career?

CR: I started consulting in Perth for the offshore oil and gas industry in the early 2000’s, taking one of the only career paths available to young marine biologists. A major part of my role was leading the Annual Marine Monitoring Program for an operator on the North West Shelf. About four months of the year was devoted to this program, either in the field or analysing the data and reporting. The rest of the time was spent on preparing environmental approvals documents for oil and gas companies, which I discovered I was very good at.

I moved to Brisbane in 2007 to establish a global consultancy’s east coast marine science practice. Soon I had built a small team and was leading the marine and coastal components of the EIS for the Gladstone LNG project. This included preparing the EPBC referrals, leading multiple field programs, managing specialist subconsultants, drafting the EIS and management plans, and presenting to State and Commonwealth regulators. Over the next several years I took leading roles on the Australia Pacific LNG project, designed and implemented multi-year, intensive water quality and sediment monitoring in Gladstone harbour, and prepared cumulative impact assessments for the Gladstone LNG , Australia Pacific LNG and Queensland Curtis LNG projects for their proposed pipeline crossings through sensitive wetlands, important bird habitat, all within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. I also led the impact assessment, monitoring and reporting on several EIS’s for large-scale dredging projects.

I was still consulting for offshore oil and gas, gaining NOPSEMA approvals for operations, exploration (including seismic, Geological and Geophysical) and offshore construction activities for numerous projects, mostly in the Bass Strait and Gippsland regions. This has included extensive stakeholder consultation, liaison with NOPSEMA, assessing and mitigating risks to marine fauna and birds from underwater noise, oil spill risks and other offshore activities. I specialise in providing strategic advice to clients who had not been able to get their projects approved.

One of my most interesting and challenging projects was the development of an Operational and Scientific Monitoring Implementation Plan (OSMIP) for one of our Bass Strait clients. After the Montara spill, NOPSEMA focussed on ensuring that timely and rigorous scientific monitoring would occur in the event of a spill. I developed a first of its kind OSMIP which allowed for response within 24-48 hours, including 50+ expert personnel (shorelines, cetaceans, seals, turtles, birds, reefs, seagrasses, ecotoxicity), and detailing the requirements for baseline data, vessels, aircraft, monitoring procedures, permits (Commonwealth, Victorian and Tasmanian), contracts, equipment, laboratories, HSE, communications and mobilisation. This OSMIP continues to be maintained by the client and is considered to represent the gold standard.

Q: How do you see your experiences add value to developing the offshore wind industry in Australia?

CR: A significant amount of my work over the last 20 years has been involved in gaining environmental approvals from Commonwealth (i.e. DCCEEW) and State departments for large-scale marine and coastal projects, and from NOPSEMA for offshore oil and gas projects. Having a robust environmental assessment and approval is absolutely vital for the sustainability of offshore wind projects. Many of these projects have required creative solutions to minimise their environmental impact. My experience has given me a deep understanding of the key issues offshore wind will face (e.g. underwater noise, interference with fishers, migratory birds, stakeholder consultation) and the expectations of what will be required by the regulators (NOPSEMA).

Many of the teams I developed for scientific monitoring of potential oil spills in Bass Strait are now heavily engaged in designing and implementing baseline monitoring programs for offshore wind. Many more teams are going to be required for the Victorian offshore wind projects, and for the New South Wales, Tasmanian and Western Australian projects. Similarly, large teams are also going to be required to guide the proponents through the emerging regulatory process and prepare the environmental approvals documentation.

In some ways it feels that my career has always been heading towards offshore wind. I’m excited to be bringing my experience with the regulators (DCCEEW, State departments and NOPSEMA) and with delivering outstanding teams for monitoring and approvals to offshore wind.

Q: What attracted you to join Ramboll?

CR: Since my first Scuba dive during university time, I’ve spent over 1,300 days in the field and over 4,500 hours underwater. I’ve had amazing experiences. I’ve dived with whale sharks, and a humpback and her calf, travelled to some of the most remote and beautiful parts of the world, watched the coral spawning, made friends with fish, and been surprised by huge sharks. I’ve also seen bushfires, mass coral bleaching (too many times), the giant kelp forests receding, the acidification and warming of our oceans of oceans, and our best scientific minds being ignored.

When I was approached by Ramboll, I did a bit of research. What I discovered was that Ramboll has been at the forefront of the global offshore wind industry for over 30 years. Six hundred of its 18,000 people are dedicated to wind. Ramboll has the full set of capabilities and experience to deliver offshore wind projects from pre-feasibility due diligence and site assessments through to construction, commissioning, operations and decommissioning. Ramboll knows what it’s doing.

Even more importantly, I immediately felt that I was with like-minded people who truly care about the environment and the future. Ethics and integrity are built into everything they do. Ramboll’s mission is to create sustainable societies where people and nature flourish. Equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the core of Ramboll's culture and values.

If you too want to work with a company that really cares, please get in touch. We are always on the lookout for people who share our values.