From his first soil mechanics course nearly two decades ago to his current work on geotechnical projects, Hector has always had a passion for figuring things out—to his mind, an engineering study is a lot like detective work. He’s participated in tailings dam and other designs in over a dozen countries, from Canada to Argentina and Brazil to Indonesia. His main responsibilities? Searching for strategies to carry out projects and identify the best potential team members to achieve goals in the best way.
Hector believes that the first responsibility of the consultant is to listen. To understand what a client needs from them and to figure out how we can help them, but his most challenging work has been a forensic investigation into the Mount Polley dam failure. Hector was brought in as part of the team that investigated the failure mechanism and evaluate what went wrong. Viewing the event through a forensic evaluation improved his wholistic understanding of the situation, and that perspective has made him an even more effective engineer.
Recognizing that you can learn something new every day, Hector appreciates the opportunity to work with people who share their experiences, and when he isn’t working on geotechnical services, you might find him drawing, walking, or playing guitar.