Vincent Selvakumar
Operations Manager / Senior Passive Fire Engineer
B.E (Mech), MEngNZ
Mobile: 021 080 69694
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Vincent began his engineering career in building services in Bangalore (India), gaining extensive experience in construction, project delivery and multidisciplinary coordination. His transition into fire engineering began after meeting Wendy James at an industry event in Auckland, which led him to join Origin Fire.
Today, Vincent serves as Origin Fire’s Operations Manager and Senior Passive Fire Engineer, combining technical engineering expertise with business operations, commercial management and leadership.
As Operations Manager, Vincent oversees the day-to-day operations of the business, including financial performance and controls, project delivery, quality management, internal systems, people management and resource planning. He is actively involved in developing Origin Fire’s operational framework, strengthening organisational capability, improving business processes and supporting staff development.
In his technical role, Vincent specialises in passive fire protection design, building investigations, remediation strategies and construction monitoring. He has worked on numerous projects throughout New Zealand, including residential developments, high-rise buildings, commercial properties and complex remediation projects. His experience extends to technical investigations, litigation support, building compliance assessments and multidisciplinary coordination.
Vincent has played a key role in several significant projects, including Bloom Apartments, Auckland Central Library, Merchant Quarter, 148 Arthur Street and Century on Anzac. His work on Century on Anzac, where he led Origin Fire’s construction monitoring of the façade firestopping works, contributed to the project winning Best Passive Fire Protection Project at the FireNZ 2026 Awards. Vincent was also the recipient of the Emerging Professional Engineer Award at FireNZ 2024.
Beyond Origin Fire, Vincent is actively involved in the wider engineering profession as Chair of the Special Interest Group for Immigrant Engineers (SIGIE), supporting the professional development, mentoring and industry engagement of internationally trained engineers in New Zealand. He also serves as one of the Auckland Regional Representatives for the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), contributing to professional networking and knowledge sharing within the fire engineering community.
Outside of work, Vincent enjoys triathlons, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking and reading.
“Good engineering goes beyond developing technically sound solutions. It is about working with people, understanding the realities of construction and ensuring that what we design can be successfully built, maintained and relied upon throughout a building’s life.”
