EmStyles  Awards:

Although EmStyles has only commenced business in August 2007, its Director, Malcolm Styles has received a number of awards including academic awards throughout his illustrious local government career.

The awards include the following:

Ø   Leonard Cheffers Engineering Excellence Award.

Presented in February 1995 by the Institute of Municipal Engineers Australia, this award was in recognition of Malcolm’s work on the Castlemaine landfill project. Malcolm worked with a multi-disciplined team of many professionals over four years that produced an innovative ridge replacement concept, a detailed design, and a site that required the introduction of a moving buffer system. He also tested the site material and geology for its suitability as a landfill site. He then assembled a team of experts that convinced an independent Planning Panel, Administrative Appeals Tribunal, and the Environment Protection Authority of the merits of such an innovative solution to the needs of the region’s disposal of waste. Malcolm subsequently compiled quality assurance specifications, and let a contract for the construction and operation of the landfill. Malcolm was responsible for the direct supervision of all the works, which included construction of highly impermeable receival cells as well as a leachate pond, a sealed road network, removal and placing of contaminants at the site, leachate systems, recycling facilities, diversion drainage and extensive fencing and services extensions. Malcolm’s ability to listen to contractors ‘non-conformance’ arguments and suggestions throughout the contract period led to the delivery of an outstanding result. 

Ø  Australian Institute of Management Prize

Malcolm was the winner of this most prestigious award in 1987. It was awarded to Malcolm as the most outstanding graduate to complete a post-graduate management course at Bendigo College of Advanced Education (now Latrobe University Bendigo campus). Over the three years of the course comprising eleven subjects, Malcolm was awarded credits, distinctions and high distinctions in Economic Policy, Industrial Relations, Business Policy, Computer Systems, Organisation Theory, Financial Planning and Analysis, Marketing Management, Government and Society, and Quantitative Methods. In fact the only subject where Malcolm was not awarded credits or above was the one subject in legal studies where he was given an exemption due to previous studies at post-graduate level. 

Ø  Municipal Engineering Foundation Study Fellow

Malcolm was awarded a study tour fellowship to visit the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom during September and October 2000. Malcolm followed his passion of studying the effectiveness of the application of Best Value particularly within the United Kingdom. Malcolm wrote a paper about Advanced Asset Management, and presented it at the American Public Works Congress at Louisville, Kentucky. Upon his return, Malcolm wrote a formal report to the Municipal Engineering Foundation and presented papers and panel discussions about his experiences to a number of forums including the International Public Works Engineering Conference held in Perth in 2001.

Ø  International Research Symposium on Public Sector Management

Malcolm was invited to write and deliver a joint research paper on Best Value in Australia at Edinburgh, Scotland. This was delivered in April 2002 in conjunction with Dr. Quamrul Alam, of Latrobe University. 

Ø  Wangaratta Early Flood Warning Project

Malcolm chaired a ministerially appointed community steering committee and supervised this project from its early planning phases, right through to implementation. The project was awarded the Victorian sector of the Australian Safer Communities Awards in the Combination Pre-Disaster category.