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George Nowak, P.Eng.

Vice President, Hatch Mott MacDonald, Mississauga

As a Vice President with Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM), George Nowak is a world-class airfield pavement expert. For most of his 39-year engineering career, George Nowak has applied engineering principles to bring innovation to the design and construction of airport pavements (runways, taxiways and aprons) and related infrastructure (airfield lighting, fuelling systems and de-icing facilities). George is considered a "Canadian Aviation Icon" by the Calgary Airport Authority. He has contributed to airport projects in every province and territory in Canada and in 26 other countries around the world.

Outside of HMM, he continues to serve the profession through his leadership and participation in various professional organizations. In 2010 he was elected Industry Vice-Chair for the Canadian Airfield Pavement Technical Group (CAPTG). Similarly, he has been an active member/contributor to the CSCE and the ASCE, giving papers on airport pavement design and construction at conferences and at the Transportation and Development Institute conferences. He is also the Practice Leader for Airports in Canada for HMM. This role not only requires him to share his knowledge with his company colleagues, but also places him in a unique position to mentor junior engineers who are interested in a career in airport engineering and pavement design. He is a regular contributor to HMM's own aviation summit conference.

Over the past thirty years, George Nowak's work to improve the safety and efficiency of airports around the world has positively impacted societies and communities on almost every continent, from Nepal to Jamaica to some of Canada's major cities. His excellence in the design of airport runways and related airport infrastructure has made air travel a little safer for all of us.