CPP Welcomes Wind Expert Dr. Galsworthy to Canadian office

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Jon Galsworthy to our team of global representatives. Jon brings his 20+ years of experience at the highest levels, literally and figuratively, to CPP’s Canadian office where he now serves as our Managing Director. In addition to his many years of experience, Jon is also a registered professional engineer in several provinces in Canada and states across the US.

The expansion of our Canadian office adds to our ability to serve clients within the Canadian and Northeastern US regions. It also provides us access to a fantastic pool of talented wind engineers developed through Canada’s wind engineering research and educational institutions, further expanding our existing talented teams around the globe.

“Since Jon and I first met each other, I’ve been incredibly impressed by his analytical mindset and his ability to make technically complicated matters sound easy to understand,” said CPP Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Napp.

“I am extremely excited to welcome him onboard here at CPP. Jon’s knowledge of wind engineering, and his standing in the industry, will be a huge boost for our clients and employees.”

Below, read a Q & A session with Jon about his career, his favorite projects, and what excites him about his new role.

How were you introduced to the Wind Engineering industry?

My undergraduate education was in Civil/Structural Engineering at The University of Western Ontario. There I met several professors – Davenport, Vickery, Isyumov and Surry – that each brought practical examples into the classroom. As I went further along, I did well in school and knew that I wanted to learn more. I approached Barry Vickery about a post-graduate degree and that started the whole journey for me.

In your career, what is your favorite structure or project that you have been involved in?

Every project for me has its own story and I have tried to make a meaningful contribution and grow professionally from each engagement. Some of the most influential projects for me as a young engineer were some of the smallest engagements where the owner, architect, or engineer had a specific design challenge and needed help navigating through a code issue or needed an advocate with an approvals authority.

I have had the privilege to work on whole new classes of buildings as they developed – the ‘mega-tall’ 600m+ towers in Asia, with the Ping An International Finance Center in Shenzhen and the Merdeka PNB 118 Tower in Kuala Lumpur as particularly memorable projects; the super slender residential tower boom in New York such as the Steinway Building; and large site redevelopment projects like Hudson Yards. If I must pick one though it would be Jeddah Tower, as much for the technical challenge as for the close teamwork with the designers.

You are noted for your work with “super tall” buildings. What is the tallest building or structure you’ve ever been involved with? And, what is the highest you’ve ever been off the ground? Airplanes excluded!

The tallest building I have been involved in as the principal wind engineer is Jeddah Tower which will be >1000m in height upon completion. Being part of a building where your work product is among the most influential on the success of the project was both thrilling and humbling. As it turned out the architecture of the building led to good news early in the project as cross wind excitation due to vortex shedding was relatively benign. Wind conditions at ground level and at the outdoor terrace 700+ metres above ground were memorable design challenges too.

Highest off the ground? I have been on many tall buildings during construction and it doesn’t normally bother me as I don’t have a fear of heights. There are a couple of occasions though where things felt a bit precarious. The first was during my graduate studies when I was 600 feet above ground putting instrumentation on an industrial chimney. I worked from a 3 ft wide walkway with only a tool kick and a single bar handrail to hang on to in 30 mph winds. The second was much higher at about 1500 ft above ground on the top floor before the building envelope was completed. There was no safety barrier or fall protection, so I stayed well back from the edge!

What do you feel is the biggest strength of CPP right now?

The company is filled with many talented people but the thing that I see early on that is really special is that everyone is highly engaged. There has been a lot of change and investment in the company and everyone I have talked to feels they are contributing in a positive way. From everything I see they are right.

What strengths do you bring to CPP?

Leadership of highly technical teams with a servant leadership philosophy, deep experience in the field across many sectors and cultures, cross cultural and regional team building, strong business acumen and financial mindset.

What is the number one metric you will use to measure success?

Client satisfaction.

What is it about this position that EXCITES you?

CPP is a company committed to technical leadership surrounding a core culture of client service. I am excited to be joining the leadership group as they continue along this path to open new markets and increasing market share in existing markets around the globe.

How important is team building?

Team building is critical to long term success. Spending time together outside of the office (or on Teams) where folks can let their guard down gives us more perspective and insight into our teammates. It sets the team up for success when faced with more stressful situations.

What was your first paying job?

I grew up on a farm and have always worked. The first real paying job off the farm was de-tasseling corn for a large seed company. Crews of us walked down rows of corn removing the tassels from one row to help cross pollination. It was humbling work.

While working, do you listen to music, podcasts, or sit in complete silence?

I am most productive in silence but the quiet does get to me after a couple hours. In those rare days that my calendar is mostly open or blocked for one task then I will mix in a podcast or two. My favorites right now are Malcom Gladwell’s Revisionist History and Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Galsworthy, PEng, PE, to CPP. Jon may be reached at:

• Email: jgalsworthy@cppwind.com
• Phone: + 1 905 745 6867
• Or connect with him on LinkedIn

For additional information about CPP Wind, click here to visit our blog.