The list celebrates engineers who have achieved leadership roles in their chosen industry. The category of engineering expertise was judged on technical achievements and their current impact on engineering practice.

Mr Venton is the principal of Venton and Associates. His work typically involves pipeline process design, optimised replacement cost and design, pipeline safety study facilitation and specific assignments such as pipeline fracture control plans.

Mr Venton’s career began with Associated Pipelines as a pipeline engineer, he then moved to consulting work developing high-pressure, long-distance slurry pipelines.

Australian Pipeline Industry Association (APIA) members recognise Mr Venton as someone who has given selflessly of his time over many years in the development of petroleum pipeline standards and contributing to the training and mentoring of young pipeline engineers.

Setting the standard

Since 2000, Mr Venton has been Chairman of Standards Australia Committee ME-38, the Petroleum Pipelines Committee, and has been the driving force behind the AS2885 suite of Standards for the design and construction of high-pressure pipelines which is internationally recognised as ‘world leading’.

In November 2007, Mr Venton was honoured with a Meritorious Contribution Award as part of the Standards Australia Awards. The criteria for selection took into consideration input and participation in meetings and deliberations, contribution to problem solving and conflict resolution, involvement in international Standards work, research work, advocacy of Standards and length of service.

Richard Robinson and Max Kimber said that in addition to his work on ME-38 Mr Venton is also a very active member of the APIA Research and Standards Committee (APIA-RSC). They both agree that “In that committee he is a passionate promoter and supporter of the APIA research program, often bringing forward valuable research projects and volunteering as Industry Advisor for projects.”

Peer reviewed

APIA President Ashley Kellett said that as well as his contribution to the APIA-RSC, Mr Venton “is always available and willing, despite the demands of his busy consultancy, to assist the APIA secretariat with a myriad of engineering and technical matters.”

For example, APIA conducted day-long seminars around Australia and in New Zealand in 2006 and 2007 to inform members of the Association as well as the wider community of the updated high-pressure pipeline standard AS2885. Mr Kellett said that these seminars could not have been held without significant input from Mr Venton.

The written nominations recognising Mr Venton’s contribution stated that there is barely a major high pressure or slurry pipeline development in the region in the past thirty years that did not involve him. Mr Venton has played a leading role in the majority of major pipeline projects in Australasia over the past two decades including the Dampier to Bunbury, Pilbara and Goldfields Gas Pipelines in Western Australia, Eastern Gas Pipeline, Tasmanian Gas Pipeline, the SEA Gas Pipeline and the Ok Tedi Slurry Pipeline and Kutubu Oil Pipeline in Papua New Guinea.

Mr Venton’s achievements include working as a principal engineer with Slurry Systems in the design, construction and commissioning of one of the world’s first high-pressure iron and slurry pipelines, at Glenbrook in New Zealand.

Significantly, much of Mr Venton’s major contribution to the industry has been as a volunteer. He is a sole practitioner engineering consultant and thus has no employer support for his pipeline industry Standards, mentoring and research work.