The New Zealand construction environment in 2019–2023 was characterised by:

• Escalating pressure from leaky building failures, particularly across the residential and public asset sectors

• Intensified regulatory requirements for asbestos removal, façade compliance, and environmental controls

• Labour and supply chain disruption, worsened by COVID-19 lockdowns and resource volatility

• A reliance on subcontractor-heavy delivery models with fragmented accountability and poor risk containment

• A clear gap in the market for a vertically integrated, digitally enabled, self-performing contractor

CIS Group entered this space with a strategy anchored in control: in-house manufacturing, full project traceability, compliance-first workflows, and on-site innovation feedback loops. It replaced friction with flow—and theory with execution certainty.

Technical and Strategic Capabilities Enhanced

• Developed a live ERP-equivalent stack using Trello, SharePoint, ClockShark, and Xero to synchronise pricing, programming, compliance tracking, and workforce allocation across all active jobs

• Refined a predictive estimating and scheduling engine originally conceived at TBS and 4Sight, linking pricing logic directly to Microsoft Project for time-sequenced execution planning

• Implemented a field-to-factory production loop between CIS site surveys, AFS CAD detailing, and CNC fabrication of Agile and non-Agile flashing systems—enabling just-in-time delivery with no off-site delay

Governance, Compliance, and Risk Control

• Delivered Class A/B asbestos remediation projects in live public, industrial, and offshore environments with zero notifiable incidents

• Achieved and maintained ISO 14001 certification, with workflows that aligned H&S, environmental, and QA documentation into a single digital governance suite

• Oversaw execution in critical compliance environments, including Auckland Airport, New Zealand Archives, and occupied government facilities requiring clearance protocols, audit trails, and stakeholder reporting

Innovation, Disruption, and System Integration

• Led the ground-up development of Agile Systems—a CNC-based aluminium construction ecosystem built to:
  • Reduce labour dependency through panelisation and mechanical interfaces
  • Minimise reliance on wet seals and gaskets by introducing mechanically drained cavity designs
  • Deliver precision manufacturing via 3D-modelling and aluminium detailing
  • Optimise build speed, enabling installation time reductions of up to 80% in Agile Home configurations

• Embedded Agile’s cavity, cladding, fencing, decking, and amenity units into CIS site workflows, turning project delivery into continuous product development and system refinement

Operational Oversight and Delivery

• Directed the delivery of projects across multiple categories:
  • High-risk asbestos remediation
  • Complex cladding reinstatement and weather-tightness repairs
  • Façade upgrades on public assets (libraries, archives, social housing)
  • High-rise new-build specialist façade packages using Flashclad systems
  • Agile installations across modular decks, cavity systems, and public toilet units

• Maintained continuous execution flow between CIS (site), AFS (fabrication), Flashclad (supply), and Agile (R&D and interface design)

Execution Model and Systems Development

• Designed and implemented the Project Owner model—eliminating estimator/PM handoffs and enabling single-role accountability from pricing to final inspection

• Developed and scaled a live handover architecture incorporating:
  • Scope-specific QA registers
  • Asbestos tracking and documentation
  • Agile detailing sequences
  • Financial forecast vs actual dashboards

• Used Agile integration to unify cladding system compatibility across jobs, removing system conflict, reducing junction risk, and transforming delivery from bespoke to modular

Client Interface and Strategic Market Positioning

• Delivered for:
  • Auckland Council – public facilities, archives, civic upgrades
  • CityCare / Ministry of Internal Affairs – panel delivery for government building refurbishment
  • ACC – regulatory and safety-driven compliance upgrades
  • First Gas and Fonterra – critical infrastructure sites requiring operational containment and live-environment coordination
  • Auckland Airport – Class A surgical demolition, asbestos remediation, and enabling works
  • Multiple Tier 1 main contractors – subcontracted delivery of Flashclad façade systems and Agile detailing on new residential towers (up to 17 storeys)

• Maintained active engagement with WorkSafe NZ, third-party auditors, council QA teams, and internal governance across all live high-risk environments

Strategic & Business Milestones

Revenue Growth & Market Expansion

CIS Group scaled from a startup to a multi-disciplinary contractor delivering complex works across New Zealand’s highest-risk construction environments.

• Achieved 50% year-on-year revenue growth, reaching approximately $6M turnover within 24 months

• Established preferred supplier and panel contractor status with:
  • Auckland Council
  • Ministry of Internal Affairs (via CityCare)
  • ACC
  • First Gas
  • Fonterra
  • Auckland Airport
  • Multiple Tier 1 main contractors

• Expanded vertically into plumbing, drainage, and gas-fitting to reduce reliance on external subcontractors, increase internal delivery control, and compress cost and time margins across project scopes

Business Scaling through Innovation and Systems Architecture

• Deployed a closed-loop operational model from site scoping to digital design, in-house fabrication, installation, QA, and council signoff

• Refined the Project Owner structure to improve continuity, eliminate scope misalignment, and improve closeout speed

• Validated Agile Systems in parallel with market delivery—building a real-time feedback mechanism between job sites and product development

Project & Operational Success

Auckland Council Projects

• Massey Library Upgrade
  • Scope: Recladding, full roof remediation, drainage, structural reinforcement
  • Expanded from $500K to ~$2M after identifying significant building failure
  • Delivered end-to-end, including architectural redesign, flashings, and cavity systems via AFS
  • Included in-house plumbing, drainage, and gas-fitting under newly formed internal division

• Manukau HUP (Council HQ) Asbestos Removal
  • Designed and installed the first mobile sliding containment system in NZ for Class A asbestos removal on occupied concrete buildings
  • Coordinated WorkSafe NZ, council, and independent auditors—zero contamination, zero disruption to operations
  • Execution methodology was commended by WorkSafe as an industry model

• New Zealand Archives
  • Performed surgical demolition and internal remediation under full environmental control to preserve documents and national artefacts
  • Managed full Class A asbestos removal, interior rebuild, and envelope integrity restoration

ACC / Ministry of Internal Affairs (via CityCare)

• Remediated multiple occupied government buildings under panel contract frameworks

• Performed internal demolition, cladding reinstatement, structural upgrades, and building envelope correction under live-occupancy protocols

• Provided full digital documentation and QA signoff, including Agile and AFS detailing for non-standard interfaces

First Gas & Fonterra

• Delivered high-risk, live-site remediation and asbestos removal within operational industrial sites

• Deployed internal containment, mechanical penetrations, Agile cavity systems, and zero-wet-seal detailing to meet client governance and compliance standards

Auckland Airport

• Executed enabling works, demolition, and Class A asbestos remediation within airside and landside zones under civil works compliance

• Maintained tight sequencing to ensure no disruption to runway operations or terminal functionality

High-Rise Residential (17-Storey Flashclad Project)

• Delivered subcontract façade install on a high-rise tower with full Flashclad integration

• Coordinated flashing fabrication (AFS), Agile detailing (junction risk reduction), and façade install within a tightly sequenced Tier 1-led delivery program

• Demonstrated ability to integrate with head contractor environments without loss of execution control or interface breakdown

Financial Turnarounds & Cost Efficiencies

• Reduced subcontractor reliance across drainage, internal plumbing, flashing fabrication, and architectural documentation

• Lowered project variation exposure by implementing real-time cost forecasting linked directly to programme and allowance tracking

• Reduced total build-time duration by up to 30% through Agile componentisation and AFS pre-manufacturing

• Converted high-risk project scopes into predictable, margin-controlled delivery sequences using modular detailing and digital compliance workflows

• Eliminated traditional documentation lag—council-ready QA packs were completed in real-time and synced via SharePoint, reducing project closeout delays by up to 50%

Influence on the Organisation’s Future

CIS Group redefined what it means to operate as a high-compliance contractor in a market shaped by risk, regulation, and delivery failure. Through its vertically integrated structure—combining CIS Group (execution), AFS (fabrication), and Flashclad (system supply)—the business achieved control, resilience, and profitability across scopes where most contractors struggled to deliver certainty.

Agile Systems extended this architecture further—transforming operational complexity into productised intelligence. What began as a cavity and flashing concept evolved into a modular, aluminium-based ecosystem capable of unifying disparate cladding systems, reducing junction risk, accelerating build speed, and creating a platform for scalable, compliant delivery across multiple project types.

By embedding systemised workflows, cross-trade visibility, and digital accountability across the full lifecycle of every project, CIS Group built an operating model that outperformed its size, disrupted its sector, and validated new standards for what lean, resilient, execution-led construction leadership looks like.

Professional Legacy & Industry Impact

The impact of CIS Group extends beyond its project ledger. It delivered a clear, repeatable model for how the construction and remediation industries can evolve:

• From fragmented to unified

• From reactive to predictive

• From contractor to ecosystem

CIS Group proved that complex, high-risk environments can be de-risked—not through overstaffing or over-engineering—but through precision, integration, and leadership discipline.

The frameworks, tools, and philosophies developed at CIS have now carried forward into Agile’s next chapter, and into the leadership blueprint applicable across industries: that systems should scale, tools should integrate, and excellence should be designed—not hoped for.

CIS Group leaves behind not just successful projects, but a repeatable operating system for high-performance delivery in risk-regulated industries.

Key Takeaways

CIS Group delivered more than technical projects—it delivered proof of concept for leadership under complexity. Across four years, a startup-scale contractor became a panel-approved, compliance-first, digitally structured operator executing some of the most demanding public and private projects in New Zealand.

What emerged was a leadership philosophy and operating system capable of scaling far beyond CIS itself.

Key Competencies Proven:

• Strategic Design Thinking – Architected a vertically integrated business that replaced the traditional contractor model with a controlled, self-performing ecosystem

• Operational Mastery – Delivered multi-million-dollar contracts with accuracy, reduced exposure, and minimal external reliance through digital tracking and lean systems

• Transformation Leadership – Built Agile Systems as a product and a platform by embedding innovation directly into live project delivery environments

• Change Management – Navigated seismic external conditions (including COVID-19) by redeploying capabilities, retaining workforce continuity, and maintaining financial performance

• High-Risk Execution – Delivered Class A asbestos remediation, live site façade reinstatements, and critical infrastructure projects under WorkSafe, council, and government oversight

• Culture Building – Established and developed cross-functional teams across engineering, manufacturing, architecture, and construction, all operating under a shared governance and delivery philosophy

Next Career Steps

CIS Group’s legacy is not limited to remediation or construction. It serves as a high-fidelity demonstration of executive leadership in a volatile, high-compliance, high-complexity operating environment.

The systems, strategies, and structures proven across this chapter are now applicable at enterprise scale:

• Chief Operating Officer (COO) roles where transformation, margin recovery, delivery realignment, or vertical integration is required

• Chief Executive Officer (CEO) roles in sectors where innovation must be operationalised and complexity needs to be simplified

• Leadership positions in companies seeking to digitise workflows, reduce delivery risk, and modernise project or asset operations across regulated or technical industries

The next chapter will leverage the lessons of CIS—disruption with discipline, innovation through execution, and vertical integration as a driver of operational resilience.

Disrupt. Refine. Optimize. Elevate. Beyond Building or Maintaining. Driven by Agility.