James Smithers

Executive summary

James is a Project and Infrastructure Advisory Partner with BDO in Sydney. James focuses on deeply understanding client challenges, aligning stakeholders early, and delivering clear, evidence-based advice that supports confident decision-making. His ability to bridge technical, policy, and financial perspectives enables him to help clients navigate complex infrastructure, regulatory, and investment contexts with clarity and confidence.

James specialises in assisting clients with infrastructure decisions through business case development, managing economic appraisals, infrastructure strategy and policy development, and governance and delivery strategies. These services help clients prioritise investments, develop credible cases for funding, shape strategic policy positions, and align capital programs with long-term social and environmental goals.

He has 24 years of professional experience in infrastructure advisory and consulting, working with state and federal government clients, as well as the private sector across transport, energy, water, social infrastructure, decarbonisation, and sustainability sectors.

Expertise

• Infrastructure strategy and investment planning
• Business case development, managing economic appraisals, investment decision-making and assurance
• Project and program leadership, management and assurance
• Transport and freight policy advisory
• Net zero and decarbonisation transition strategy
• Governance and delivery frameworks for infrastructure projects
• Social and economic infrastructure planning and delivery
• Transport sector, including road, rail, freight, public transport, decarbonisation
• Energy and Water sectors, including transmission, distribution, renewable transition

Experience

Investment decision making

• Investment decision making for State Government transport agencies: Collaborated with the agency’s freight team to redevelop freight demand models and strategic forecasting in NSW. This work supported regional freight planning for projects like Port Kembla Rail Access Development, Hunter Freight Study, and Western Sydney Freight Line.
• Zero-emission bus funding adviser and cost economics: Oversaw development of the bus transition strategy for a billion-dollar investment in zero-emission buses, compiling a final business case and assisting the state government agency in achieving funding goals. This included assessing technology, energy, and infrastructure decisions at the early feasibility stage.
• Sydney Working Harbour economic study: Managed the team to deliver this study into the broad working uses and economic contribution of Sydney Harbour, including extensive consultation with stakeholders across all functional users of the Harbour.
• Housing Acceleration Fund prioritisation and business case submission: Undertook due diligence of projects for the $600m Housing Acceleration Fund to prioritise infrastructure that best supports the acceleration of housing developments.
• Strategic review of the business case for the Parramatta River Ferries project: Conducted a strategic review to assess the selection and procurement of new vessels, ensuring the best service option against various benefit categories.

Strategy and policy

• Heavy Vehicle Strategic Policy Reviews and Development: Developed policy to improve freight efficiency in NSW through new access schemes and automation.
• Low Carbon Product Manufacturing Grant assessments: Led the assessment of grant funding applications for low carbon product manufacturing.
• Optimising project delivery performance: Coordinated the literature and stakeholder engagement effort to diagnose issues in the delivery of road infrastructure projects in Australia and New Zealand. James conducted several key engagements with senior executives in the public and private sector to determine issues, risks, and best practice in delivery.
• Policy advice on establishing an Affordable Housing Rental Company (AHRC): Led a team to assess the optimal business model for establishing an AHRC in NT. Options were developed through research and consulting with existing AHRCs across Australia. A business case and financial model were developed to assess revenue models and scale.
• Board strategy planning for a NT utility provider: Facilitated a strategic planning process, including interviews with the executive team to understand the current issues and opportunities, then define the strategic direction of the organisation through a strategy workshop for the Board of Directors.

Asset strategy and management

• Program delivery evaluation: Reviewed and provided significant improvement recommendations for the TfNSW annual $70m Safer Roads Program budget for delivering road safety infrastructure, involving the selection, prioritisation and delivery processes.
• Strategic asset management review: Led a team to undertake a review of the asset management approach, strategy, and contracting models. Developed a financial model to identify and evaluate opportunities to provide significant savings.

Project assurance and governance advice

• Project team governance for rail project: Developed the staged project team structure and governance arrangements to deliver early milestone packages, managed the interface between the cost estimators and business case consultants.
• Alliance management and governance structure: Structured the management and governance arrangements for this special-purpose-vehicle, including decision-making delegations, accountabilities and reporting structure. The diverse team, including representatives from government clients, banks, energy companies, contractors and universities required strong and clear governance to drive project objectives.
• Governance and master planning for Remote Indigenous Housing Program: Facilitation of a workshop with senior program representatives to assist with the implementation of a new governance framework. Outcomes included a performance reporting framework, risk management framework and master planning framework.

Contract/procurement advice and commercial negotiation

• Delivery and procurement strategy: Following an assessment of workforce availability, advised a uranium business on the optimal design, breakdown of programs and procurement model for managing projects for a significant mine expansion valued at $20bn.
• Maintenance contract model review, Hobart: Evaluated the model for maintenance to public housing in Tasmania and a comparison with Australian jurisdictions, resulting in a new recommended maintenance contract model.
• Procurement strategy advice, including PPP assessment: Development of a procurement strategy by undertaking a detailed procurement and financing option analysis and risk assessment, through facilitated workshops for the construction, operation, and maintenance of a rail coal unloader.

Project leadership

• Project and change manager for a transport infrastructure developer: Managed the successful implementation and change associated with a cost management software implementation, rescuing the project after implementation stalled.
• Project and development manager for a rail coal unloader: Client’s project manager responsible for managing the procurement stage of a $100m rail loop project. James managed a team of consultants to finalise the concept design, the planning approval process, contract development and engagement of contractors in a design and construct contract, including management of the tender process and negotiation.

Qualifications and affiliations

• Master of Business Administration
• Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical/Naval Architecture), First Class Honours

Professional engagements and activities

• Setting up Projects for Success, World Engineering Conference, 2019
• Setting up Projects for Success (co-authored publication), in collaboration with University of Technology Sydney research team, 2020