KCB Welcomes 2026 Principal and Associates

July 27, 2026

We’re proud to announce the appointment of our 2026 Principal and Associates.

These leaders have demonstrated exceptional commitment to KCB through collaboration, professional excellence, and dedication to our people and clients. Their contributions help strengthen our organization, support business growth, develop future leaders, and foster collaboration across our organization

PRINCIPAL

Robert Cheetham, P.Eng.

Robert Cheetham is a Senior Civil Engineer with 30 years of experience in civil, water resources, and municipal engineering. His expertise includes the civil and hydrotechnical design for water infrastructure projects across the infrastructure, mining, and energy sectors, including river engineering, stormwater drainage, stormwater ponds, dams, and mine water management projects. Robert is also experienced in floodplain mapping and dam break studies. Robert leads multi-disciplinary teams on all phases of a project's lifecycle, from planning and feasibility through to detailed design, tendering, construction, and post construction.

ASSOCIATES

Johan Labuschagne, MIEAust CPEng

Johan Labuschagne is a Senior Civil/Geotechnical Engineer with over 14 years of experience delivering tailings management solutions across the mining industry. Based in KCB's Perth office since January 2024, he brings more than a decade of consulting experience from South Africa, complemented by significant project delivery and construction management expertise. His technical background encompasses the planning, design, construction, operation, and monitoring of Tailings Storage Facilities (TSFs), with expertise in site investigations, construction quality assurance, contract administration, and dam surveillance. Having worked throughout Australia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Guinea, Johan has developed a broad understanding of tailings management across diverse climatic, operational, and regulatory environments.

Li Li, CPEng NER

Li Li is a Tailings/Geotechnical Engineer with more than 20 years of experience specialising in mine waste and water management, including tailings storage facilities (TSFs), mine water storages, and heap leach pads. He has extensive expertise in TSF operational improvement, risk assessment, dam safety reviews. His experience spans a diverse range of mining projects throughout Australia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, where he has provided technical leadership and practical engineering solutions across the planning, design, construction, operation and closure phases. At KCB, he leads the Engineer of Record team for a major mining project.

Brian Keenan, CEng MIEI

Brian Keenan is a Senior Geotechnical Engineer and Mine Waste Practitioner with over 15 years of experience in consultancy, following over 10 years of site and project management experience in the infrastructure sector. He completed his BEng in Civil Engineering with the University College Dublin (UCD), holds an MSc in Geotechnical and Geosynthetic Engineering from Drexel University Philadelphia and has recently completed an Executive MBA with the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. Brian's experience covers lead roles for the feasibility, planning, design, operation and closure of tailings facilities located primarily in Europe, with a focus on Ireland and the Nordics. He is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with Engineer's Ireland and led has Engineer of Record (EoR) and Designer of Record (DoR) teams for several mining and refinery projects during his career with Golder/WSP and since 2023 with KCB.

Kurt Tomblin, P.Eng.

Kurt Tomblin is a Civil Engineer with more than 13 years of experience in civil, geotechnical, municipal and water resources engineering. His expertise includes dam safety reviews, dam breach and inundation studies, municipal stormwater infrastructure, civil design, construction supervision, contract administration, geotechnical investigations, hydraulic assessments, applied hydrology, and surface water management. He has supported projects through the full lifecycle, from planning and design to construction and operations, delivering practical and technically robust solutions for complex infrastructure and water resource challenges. His multidisciplinary background and strong project management skills enable effective stakeholder coordination and successful project delivery.

Tom Shire, PhD, CEng MICE

Tom Shire is a Geotechnical Engineer with 17 years of experience spanning both consultancy and academia. He holds an MEng in Civil Engineering from the University of Nottingham and an MSc in Soil Mechanics and a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from Imperial College London, specializing in granular filters. His experience covers the mining, dams and hydropower, nuclear, oil and gas, and transportation sectors. Tom’s technical expertise includes internal erosion and filter design, unsaturated soil mechanics, and numerical modelling, supported by both experimental and analytical research. He is a former committee member of the British Dam Society and former Vice Chair of the ICE Scottish Ground Engineering Group. Tom is a current member of the Editorial Board of the Canadian Geotechnical Journal.

Luis Matute

Luis Matute Díaz is a Civil/Geotechnical Engineer with over 24 years of experience spanning engineering design, construction, and quality management. He has led multidisciplinary teams across infrastructure, hydroelectric, and mining projects, overseeing field work, engineering integration, and technical delivery. His technical expertise includes water and tailings dams, bridges, roads, water conveyance systems, and buildings. He has lectured in undergrad and graduate engineering programs. He served as Responsible Professional for the tailings dam on a major mining project in Ecuador, where he managed engineering, construction, operations, and quality control. He acts as Deputy EoR and EoR for tailings dams in Ecuador.

Carolina Camarena

Carolina Camarena is a Civil Engineer with over 18 years of experience delivering complex infrastructure and engineering projects in multidisciplinary environments. With expertise in construction management, project execution, and process optimization, she leads teams to achieve project objectives while maintaining a strong focus on safety, schedule, budget, and quality. Carolina is skilled in stakeholder coordination, risk management, resource planning, and continuous improvement, consistently delivering high-quality solutions that meet client and business needs. Fluent in English and Spanish, she leverages strong communication and leadership skills to foster collaboration and drive successful project outcomes.