Tauranga engineer Hamish Denize, who works at Beca, was voted the most client-focused consulting engineer in Australia and New Zealand at an awards ceremony held in Melbourne on Wednesday.

The AFR Client Choice award finalists are selected from the results of the Beaton independent research reports, which canvas the opinions of over 16,000 individual clients of professional services firms (including engineering, legal and accounting) across Australia and New Zealand.

The nominees for the most client-focused consulting engineer are the result of clients' answers to a specific question asking them to name and rate the most client focused practitioner with which they have worked.

So Hamish was nominated multiple times with an exceptionally high score to win this award.

'I was absolutely blown away when my name was called out as the winner in this category! There was such stiff competition from international engineering consultancies across Australia and New Zealand in this research," says Hamish.

"I don't know which clients nominated me but I'd like to thank every one of them very much!”

Hamish has lived in Tauranga since 2004 and is the fire engineering discipline lead for Beca globally.

He advises clients around New Zealand and Asia Pacific on how to create safe, cutting edge buildings that are fire-safe. He has worked with Beca for 14 years.

'This is a fabulous achievement, we are all absolutely delighted! Hamish has an outstanding focus on his clients across Bay of Plenty and internationally," says Beca's Bay of Plenty Regional Manager, Gavin Frost.

"I see him in action every day. It's his integrity that leads the way and clients know they can rely on him to listen to them and deliver the best solution as cost effectively as possible.”

Outside of work, Hamish has an avocado farm with 15 steers, which he runs with the help of his two children, Angus, 9, and Maggie, 11.