A civil engineer in India, Harsha Datti had to restart his career when he came to New Zealand in 2015. “I had to start over to get NZ credentials and work experience. Living in Waikato, I studied for a graduate diploma in Highway Engineering and started working as a labourer.”

In 2017, Harsha joined Higgins Waikato as Quality Assurance Technician assigned to the CityEdge Alliance on the Waikato Expressway – Hamilton Section project. During his time with the project, he became Hi-Lab Design and Manufacturing Engineer and then later expanded his role to Asphalt Project Engineer role, delivering 120,000 tons of asphalt while managing both positions concurrently.

After the completion of the expressway project in 2022, Harsha took on the role of Project Manager at Higgins Waikato in Hamilton. He’s now Paving and Production Manager with a team of 40 specialising in asphalt operations.

“I’ve always believed that hard work eventually pays off and Higgins has shown me this in my journey starting as an Asphalt Quality Assurance and now the Paving and Production Manager in Waikato. Higgins has a large scope of services which has given me opportunities to learn, grow, and progress in my career."