Richard Dietrich

Current

Regional Manager at Roughton International

Past

Managing Director / Sri Lanka at Hammer International
Shelter / Housing Coordinator / Sri Lanka at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Project Manager / Sri Lanka at ZOA Refugee Care

Assistant Regional Manager / UK at Roughton International
Project Manager / Afghanistan at ZOA Refugee Care
Design Engineer / UK at Metronet Rail
Consultant for Construction and Infrastructure Rehabilitation / Afghanistan at ZOA Refugee Care
Bridge Engineer / UK at Robert Benaim & Associates
Research Student / UK at Department of Engineering, Cambridge University
Structural Engineer / Germany at Ingenieurbüro Albrecht Doblies
Student Placement at Ingenieurbüro Albrecht-Doblies

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Education

University of Cambridge
McGill University
Technische Universität München

McGill University

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1 more...

Connections

98 connections

Industry

Civil Engineering

Websites

My Website

Richard Dietrich’s Summary

Richard is a dedicated project and general manager with a background in structural, civil and environmental engineering. He has over ten years professional experience in both industry and the humanitarian field and has been involved in a wide variety of projects and sectors. He is proactive, open-minded and extremely committed to his work, customers and staff. Richard speaks three languages fluently and has worked on an international level.

Since February 2008 Richard is the Regional Manager of Roughton International responsible first for Romania only and now with additional responsibilities related to predominately Latin America and the Caribbean. RI, a member of the UK based Roughton Group, and a consultancy which provides professional services in sustainable infrastructure development and management solutions predominately in developing and emerging countries.

Previously Richard was the Managing Director of Hammer International in Sri Lanka, a subsidiary of the Munich based Hammer Group. Hammer International offered a variety of consultancy services within the housing, construction, energy, environmental, infrastructure and humanitarian sectors.

Richard worked as a consultant or project manager on a variety of commercial or humanitarian projects for several clients, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Sri Lanka, London Underground, Metronet, engineering consultancies and humanitarian agencies. Projects include road and water related infrastructure rehabilitation; building construction or modernization; highway, railway and pedestrian bridges; shelter, housing and related infrastructure in a humanitarian context. Richard worked in a variety of countries across Europe and Asia and has travelled extensively in North, Central and South America.

Richard Dietrich’s Specialties:

General & Project Management
Project Acquisition & Business Development
Restructuring & Change Management
Infrastructure Construction & Rehabilitation
Low Cost Housing Construction and Related Infrastructure
Post Disaster Reconstruction & Humanitarian Relief
Strong in solving problems and ability to think non-linear
Excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills
Proactive and likes taking responsibility
Performs well under pressure
Computer literate

Richard Dietrich’s Experience

Regional Manager

Roughton International

(Civil Engineering industry)

February 2008 — Present (2 years 1 month)

Roughton International is a member of the UK based Roughton Group and a consultancy which provides professional services in sustainable infrastructure development and management solutions predominately in developing and emerging countries. As Regional Manager, Richard is in charge of the entire commercial and administrative management of the Romanian business, business development and project acquisition. He also oversees, supports and advises the project managers in charge for project implementation. Since August 2009 Richard has assumed additional responsibilities predominately related to supporting the business in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Managing Director / Sri Lanka

Hammer International

(Civil Engineering industry)

July 2006 — January 2008 (1 year 7 months)

Hammer International (Pvt.) Ltd. is a subsidiary of the Germany based Hammer Group, which maintains offices in Germany, Russia and Sri Lanka. The group’s core business is in commercial, industrial and residential property development, but Hammer International in Sri Lanka offered a variety of consultancy services within the housing, construction, energy, environmental, infrastructure, tourism and humanitarian sectors. It also looked into the development of renewable energy power plants. Richard was in charge of the entire commercial and administrative management of the Romanian business, business development and project acquisition. He also oversaw project implementation.
Shelter / Housing Coordinator / Sri Lanka

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

(Non-Profit; International Affairs industry)

April 2005 — June 2006 (1 year 3 months)

In the aftermath of the tsunami of December 2004 UNHCR was asked by the Government of Sri Lanka to act as lead coordinating agency for the shelter sector. Richard, as part of the UNHCR Shelter Unit, assisted the Government in its efforts to coordinate the construction of over 55,000 transitional shelters for tsunami victims. He also advised policy makers and implementing agencies on technical issues, best practise, guidelines and processes.
Richard also handled for UNHCR the development, implementation and management of its own shelter programmes for both tsunami victims as well as people internally displaced by the conflict (conflict IDPs). During 2005 and 2006 UNHCR assisted about 7,000 tsunami or conflict affected families with shelter or housing, including related infrastructure facilities across northern and eastern Sri Lanka.
Project Manager / Sri Lanka

ZOA Refugee Care

(Non-Profit; Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

January 2005 — April 2005 (4 months)

Richard was part of an emergency response team and consulted and assisted the office in Trincomalee in its relief and reconstruction activities after the tsunami of December 2004.
Assistant Regional Manager / UK

Roughton International

(Civil Engineering industry)

November 2004 — December 2004 (2 months)

Richard assisted the regional managers with the preparation of contracts and proposals and the support of the in-country project teams on various international road infrastructure rehabilitation projects. He was considered to go to Sri Lanka to assist the local team on a highway construction project when the tsunami hit the country.
Project Manager / Afghanistan

ZOA Refugee Care

(Non-Profit; Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

October 2003 — October 2004 (1 year 1 month)

Richard was initially hired to head the engineering department of ZOA Refugee Care in Afghanistan and after handover of this responsibility to his local counterpart he was transferred to a consultancy role monitoring and evaluating existing projects, providing general technical and managerial advice and developing the programme concept for 2005.
Design Engineer / UK

Metronet Rail

(Privately Held; Transportation/Trucking/Railroad industry)

February 2003 — September 2003 (8 months)

Richard was appointed as the task manager for the design works for the Earl’s Court Station Modernization Project. This project had been running already for four years and had seen a massive increase in the scope of works increasing the total cost of civil works from about GBP 14 Million to approximately GBP 50 Million by the end of the project.
Consultant for Construction and Infrastructure Rehabilitation / Afghanistan

ZOA Refugee Care

(Non-Profit; Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

October 2002 — January 2003 (4 months)

Richard was hired to advise ZOA in Northern Afghanistan on all construction issues and to develop a rural road rehabilitation project. He also took the role as security advisor for Northern Afghanistan.
Bridge Engineer / UK

Robert Benaim & Associates

(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Civil Engineering industry)

October 2001 — September 2002 (1 year )

Richard was responsible for the static, dynamic and seismic analysis of the elevated transition structures of the Taiwan High Speed Railway Project. He also carried out design work.
Research Student / UK

Department of Engineering, Cambridge University

(Research industry)

October 2000 — September 2001 (1 year )

Richard developed the concept and design of a foldable antenna for small satellites for an Israeli client. He completed the MPhil, but decided to go back into industry.
Structural Engineer / Germany

Ingenieurbüro Albrecht Doblies

(Civil Engineering industry)

October 1999 — September 2000 (1 year )

Richard carried out the independent checking of geometry and structural design of several steel and steel composite structures and buildings.
Student Placement

Ingenieurbüro Albrecht-Doblies

(Civil Engineering industry)

July 1997 — September 1999 (2 years 3 months)

Richard carried out the independent checking of geometry and structural design of several steel and steel composite structures and buildings.

Richard Dietrich’s Education

University of Cambridge

MPhil , Engineering , 2000 — 2001

Design of a Deployable Antenna for Small Satellites

Activities and Societies:

Wolfson College Rowing Club
McGill University

Thesis , Earthquake Engineering , 1999 — 1999

Completed the thesis required for the German Degree at McGill.
Technische Universität München

MSc. , Civil Engineering , 1993 — 1999

Specialisation in Steel Structures and Applied Mechanics
McGill University

Visiting , Environmental and Hydraulic Engineering , 1996 — 1997

Visiting student completing part of the German Degree at McGill.