Our Executive Team

Nigel Gardiner - Managing Director

Nigel has over 30 years’ experience in the building industry, commencing his career as a Quantity Surveyor.

He joined Paynter Dixon Queensland (PDQ) in early 1989 as a member of the construction team and worked his way to Project Manager, and eventually, Managing Director. He has been instrumental in procuring projects up to $70 million and has extensive knowledge in many sectors of the building industry.

Nigel has a Bachelor of Applied Science with Honours majoring in Quantity Surveying; he also has a Masters Degree in Project Management from the University of New South Wales.

Nigel is heavily integrated into the day-to-day key decision making process and through his industry knowledge and experience, is dedicated to all PDQ clients.

Brett Johnston - Director & General Manager

In his 19 years with PDQ, Brett has progressed through the Company ranks gaining invaluable experience in many positions across various sectors.

In his current role of General Manager, Brett is responsible for the day to day running of both the Construction and Preconstruction departments of PDQ and is instrumental in the key decision making process on all project and company operations.

James Aitken - Director, Commercial & Insurance Manager

James joined the PDQ fifteen years ago after a decade in Finance and Property Management for a large financial institution. He has built on these early foundations in the construction sector, which includes the delivery of numerous refurbishments and the establishment and fitout of new branches across Queensland. This has allowed James to progress into roles encompassing complex project and programme management for large institutional clients.

James has developed strong customer relationships by taking the time to understand the clients business processes, preferred approaches and the outcomes required and providing responsive services that meet their needs in what are sometimes extremely difficult circumstances and sensitive situations after natural disasters and catastrophic events.

The nature of his approach allows PDQ to successfully compete within the Insurance sector, providing clients with peace of mind that the project will be complete on time and on budget, every time.

Neil Southwell - Finance Director

Neil has 30 years experience in the construction industry, 25 years of which has been with PDQ. He was initially employed as the Company Accountant and has held the role of Finance Director for 13 years.

During this time Neil has contributed to the company’s growth by creating a culture of strong financial discipline. Neil’s role incorporates all aspects of financial management including internal systems, contractual negotiations, regulatory and statutory compliance, corporate governance and IT. Neil holds a Bachelor of Business majoring in Accounting and a Masters of Business Administration. He is also a Member of the Governance Institute of Australia.

John McCafferty - Director

John has over 40 years’ experience in design, construction and project management. He is a registered architect and has a Masters degree in Urban & Regional Planning. Prior to joining Paynter Dixon Queensland in 1998, John worked initially as a consultant architect and later as a project manager with Civil & Civic (Lend Lease) and was responsible for the design, project management and construction of a variety of residential, retail, commercial, education, defence and major public sector projects.

From an initial role as Design and Development Manager responsible for the design and delivery of Hospitality, Commercial and Industrial projects, John has had the opportunity as Projects Director to develop and grow Paynter Dixon’s business in the Education, Defence, Community, Health & Aged Care sectors. He has extensive experience in leading multi-disciplinary teams in complex project developments for private, not-for-profit and public sector clients. John is involved in a number of industry committees and associations in the Property and Health & Aged Care sectors.