About Us

Zac Kirkham

Owner and Principal

Over the last nine years Zac has specialised in the performance testing and maintenance of diffusers. Initially, Zac learnt from Tom’s vast experience in this field before taking a more senior role in about 2017. Since then Zac has taken over the ownership and management of the company and enjoys the challenge of continually improving Aqua Audit’s tried and tested methodologies for diffuser monitoring and maintenance.

Zac completed a Bachelors of Environmental Science (Hons 1st Class) in 2004, while training and competing as an athlete on the Australian Rowing Team.

Zac joined Aqua Audit in 2013 having worked for 8 years in the Oil & Gas (O & G) sector as a health, safety and environment consultant where he lived and worked in the far east of Russia and the far west of Australia (Perth). During this time he had many varied assignments on international and local projects covering O & G project loan compliance, HSE auditing, training and risk management. He was an RABQSA-certified Management Systems auditor at that time.

Zac lives with his family in Sydney and regularly travels to locations all around Australia managing and conducting diffuser performance and maintenance work for Aqua Audit’s clients.

Tom Lawson

Founder and Former Owner

In the course of the last 20 years, Aqua Audit’s founder, Tom Lawson, has conducted tests on almost every type of diffuser in common use in Australasia. The inventory of results he has accumulated during this period provides a valuable resource against which to compare the data for each new plant tested.

Before founding Aqua Audit Tom Lawson spent more than 15 years designing, supplying, and conducting acceptance tests on a wide variety of aeration systems. He founded Aquatec Engineering in 1981 and was managing director of Aquatec-Maxcon from 1985 to 1997. He was involved in research and product development during much of this time, and successfully applied for patents for Aquatec-Maxcon’s AquaStar surface aerator and AquaBlade membrane diffuser.

Tom retired from Aqua Audit in 2019 and spends much quality time with his family, especially his much-loved grandchildren. Tom is well renown and respected for his leading contribution to wastewater aeration in Australia, both in their design and installation, and in pioneering diffuser testing and maintenance in Australia.