Geoff Sims sadly died on 13 June 2002. He was a well-respected member of the dams industry and will be missed by those who had the pleasure of working with him
It is with regret we announce the death of Dr Geoff Sims. Geoff was born in 1940 in Farnborough, Hampshire, UK and obtained a BSc (First Class) from Bristol University in 1962. After a period with Binnie & Partners working on aspects of Mangla dam, Geoff undertook a PhD at Cambridge on the subject of modelling of air entrainment into flowing water.
From 1968 he worked as a civil engineer for the Hydroelectric Commission in Tasmania before spending six years with the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation in Australia.
In 1976 Geoff joined EPD Consultants, Balfour Beatty Projects and Engineering Limited, spending time initially working on schemes in Chile, Kenya and Nepal before spending three years in Lima on the Carhuaquero hydroelectric scheme. Between 1986 and 1995 he was director and chief civil engineer for the company.
In 1995 Geoff became a divisional director of WSP International working on water schemes in Pakistan, Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen before joining Brown & Root in 1998 as a principal consultant where he worked on dams in Cyprus, Ethiopia and the UAE.
Geoff was an All Reservoirs Panel Engineer under the Reservoirs Act 1975. He was a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and recently was Chairman of the Reservoirs Committee of the Institution.
Up to his death Geoff was an active member of the main committee of the British Dam Society, having been a past Chairman from 1993-1995. As Vice Chairman of the international-commission-on-large-dams he was well known and respected throughout the world and was for many years the Chairman of the ICOLD Committee on Dam Ageing.
Geoff could be relied on to produce work of a very high quality, to challenge when required and to support when necessary. He will be sadly missed by his family, friends and colleagues.
Andy Hughes Chairman British Dam Society