The project owner and the project manager: the M4 motorway connecting Sydney from the west to the east

Examined here are the perspectives of the project sponsor and project manager concerning the first phase of a major toll road built to traverse the inner and western suburbs of Sydney, Australia constructed through a public-private partnership; together with the personality, parental influences and experiences that shaped how these two individuals approached their vocations. Both men share a non-conformist style in their work practices that differed from the prevailing norms in their respective job environments. Fiscally and in terms of its completion date, the M4 motorway project was dubbed a success. Project debt was settled nine months prior to the project handover in 2009 (TfNSW 2011; Campbell, 2016). The accomplishments of the project in the social context of impacts on local communities and travel costs were potentially less affirmative. Also explored is Campbell’s advocacy for engineers’ stories to be heard through their association and more generally in the public sphere.