Page 8 - TunnelTalk Annual Review 2016

Parsons Brinckerhoff absorbed into WSP
arsons Brinckerhoff, one of the most ending of a particular era in the world of civil of Project Delivery in the firm’s New York recognized names in the world of civil and tunnel engineering. City office. Valletta has 38 years of design
engineering, is to disappear as part of a rebranding move by its current owner WSP.
Since being acquired by WSP in October 2014, the two companies have operated as WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff. By May 2017, the name Parsons Brinckerhoff will be dropped and the activities of the combined firm rebranded under the one name, WSP.
Parsons Brinckerhoff was established by William Barclay Parsons and Henry M Brinckerhoff in 1885. From its foundation, the firm has been headquartered in New York City with its current head office in One Penn Plaza, Manhattan, for several decades.
In October 2009, just as it was celebrating its 125th anniversary of being in business, Parsons Brinckerhoff was acquired by UK contracting company Balfour Beatty. It operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the company until October 2014 when the firm was sold again by Balfour Beatty to WSP, the Canadian-based professional engineering services firm.
WSP started as a multidisciplinary consultancy based in the UK. In 2012 Genivar of Canada acquired WSP. In January 2014, the company reorganized as WSP Global Inc and adopted WSP as the brand name.
In combination, WSP and Parsons Brinckerhoff have a 130-year history, and will be employing approximately 36,700 people in more than 500 offices across 40 countries worldwide.
The confinement of the name Parsons Brinckerhoff to historic record will mark the
As the company moves forward into its future, several career moves and appointments were recorded in 2016.
nasri Munfah returned to the firm totakeonanewroleasaSeniorVPand Director of Global Tunneling, leaving HNTB, where he served as Senior VP and Chairman of Tunnel Services. Munfah has more than 30 years of experience in tunneling and underground engineering and is a principal investigator and a co-author of the Federal Highway Administration’s Tunnel Design Manual. Frank Pepe was appointed Director of the US geotechnical and tunneling technical excellence center. An existing Vice President of the firm, Pepe has, over his 32- year career, worked across underground project delivery. He has worked on many of the company’s assignments throughout the USA and abroad. John McConkey is to lead electrical design teams for tunnel and transit projects as a senior engineering manager based in the firm’s New York office. He comes to WSP following a 30-year career with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where he served as the agency’s Chief Electrical Engineer from 2007. Also New York City-based, Barrie Roberts rejoins the practice as a senior engineering manager within its transportation and infrastructure sector as a design manager on major tunneling infrastructure projects. He has more than 30 years of design and construction experience in the USA and abroad. Michael Valletta has been appointed as Director
and construction experience and comes to WSP following 31 years with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Bill Carter has returned to the organization as Area Construction Manager working out of the Seattle office. With nearly 50 years of experience in the management of planning, design and construction of transportation programs, he was previously with Parsons Brinckerhoff from 1998-2012 when he led the firm’s construction management practice in the Northwest area. Bruce Moulds was appointed as Southeast Regional Business Development Director for the USA. Moulds will be based in the firm’s Atlanta office and will be responsible for implementing business strategies and managing marketing efforts for the firm’s southeast region. Michael Churchill is appointed as a Senior Supervising Mechanical Engineer in the firm’s Atlanta office in the USA. Churchill will serve as lead design engineer responsible for supervising and performing mechanical engineering for a tunnel ventilation system for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). lisa Maurath has been appointed Area Manager of the Los Angeles transportation and infrastructure office, including oversight of the city’s Phase 2 of the Expo Line light rail, its Regional Connector subway and its Westside Subway Extension.
References
• Balfour Beatty sells Parsons Brinckerhoff – TunnelTalk, September 2014
Nasri Munfah, Frank Pepe, John McConkey, Barrie Roberts, Michael Valletta, Bill Carter, Bruce Moulds, Michael Churchill, Lisa Maurath
Mott MacDonald growth plans in North America
Mott MacDonald accelerated its plans in North America with the addition of more than 2,000 professionals and 62 offices from the former Hatch Mott MacDonald JV. In November 2015, Hatch and Mott MacDonald announced the separation of the Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM) joint venture, formed 20 years ago, with Hatch taking control of the Canadian business and Mott MacDonald taking control of the US business.
Mott MacDonald North America services advised on projects worth more than US$31 billion in 2015. Chairman, Keith Howells, said: “Realizing large-scale infrastructure projects
Ron Aitken, Mary Cay O’Malley, John Peabody, Chris Dulake
to renew roads, bridges, airports, railways, and water systems is vital to keeping North America economically competitive and requires innovative approaches to finance, procurement, and engineering.”
In Canada, and following the Hatch Mott MacDonald split, the firm added office locations in Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver to its head office in Toronto.
Chris Mealing, Mott MacDonald Managing Director for Canada, said, “We are looking to build on our reputation of service in Canada, and support our clients by drawing on the wide range of expertise and experience from across our North American and global operations.”
Nick DeNichilo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mott MacDonald in North America, said: “This is an exciting time for us as we look to grow our involvement in established and new markets.
To support the strategy, the firm made leading appointments in 2016. Ron Aitken
was appointed Vice President-Strategic Transit Development to assist in opening transit opportunities in the US and Canada and will be based in the firm’s office in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Mary Cay O’Malley was appointed Senior Vice President and Project Delivery Leader, based in the firm’s Cleveland office.
Former US Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Commanding General, John Peabody, joined the firm as Senior Vice President and Director of Federal Programs, based in the firm’s Arlington, Virginia office.
At the company’s global headquarters in the UK, Chris Dulake was appointed as Major Projects Portfolio Director to play a leading role engaging with customers and positioning the firm for major UK and international infrastructure projects. n
References
• Hatch Mott MacDonald splits its joint venture - TunnelTalk, November 2015
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