On the move – industry appointments

International infrastructure group Balfour Beatty has appointed Tony Wilson as managing director of its UK Power Transmission and Distribution (Power T&D) business.

Wilson will be responsible for delivering the business’ growth plans, fuelled by the UK government’s requirement for clean and domestically generated energy. 

It iis already working with customers including Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks and National Grid.  

An electrical engineer by trade, he has more than 40 years’ experience within the engineering and construction industry, spanning the utilities, transport, infrastructure and power markets.

Prior to joining Balfour Beatty he has enjoyed a successful career at both Skanska and J. Murphy & Sons, where he was managing director of its Utilities sector.

Wilson joined Balfour Beatty in 2021 as utilities director for Balfour Beatty VINCI’s HS2 Area North Project, leading the delivery of all utility works. 

Last year he moved to Balfour Beatty’s Power T&D business as chief operations director.

Balfour Beatty’s Power T&D business develops some of the UK’s most ambitious power transmission and distribution projects. 

It works with electricity network owners and operators to provide technical engineering solutions across the full spectrum of the electricity grid, including overhead lines, cabling, substations and distribution networks, from scoping and feasibility, to design, construction and on-going maintenance.

Last year, Balfour Beatty was appointed as one of 10 delivery partners to SSEN Transmission’s c. £10bn Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework, responsible for delivering the onshore transmission infrastructure within SSEN’s Pathway to 2030 network redevelopment programme across the North of Scotland. 

The company has since commenced the detailed design and development of nine schemes.

Network Rail has appointed a new route director on its North and East route who will be responsible for running the railway in Yorkshire and the North-east of England.

Jason Hamilton will take over the role from Matt Rice, who is leaving the organisation after four-and-a-half years as route director to join train operator Northern.

Hamilton is in his 16th year at Network Rail and most recently has been a part of the East Coast route’s executive team as route programme director (works delivery), leading a multi-disciplinary maintenance, renewals, and response principal contractor organisation.

He has previous experience working for Network Rail in major projects on the Great Western and South East routes as part of the Crossrail Programme before moving north and continuing in further leadership roles.

As route director for the organisation’s North and East route, he will hold overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the rail network throughout Yorkshire and the North-east, including in places such as Sheffield, Leeds, Hull and Middlesbrough.

He will also oversee key infrastructure projects such as Network Rail’s involvement in the Northumberland Line, which will see passenger services reinstated 60 years after they were ended, and many Access for All projects at stations including Bridlington, Garforth, and Selby, making rail travel easier for many passengers.

He said: “I am thrilled to have been appointed as the new route director on Network Rail’s North and East route. 

“This part of the network hosts major arterial routes across the north of England, connecting major towns and cities which are so crucial to our passengers. 

“It will also see transformational infrastructure investment over the coming years and plays a major role in the north of England economy.”

He will begin in post next month. 

Design and engineering firm Stantec has appointed Susan Emmett as its new social value business support lead for the UK and Ireland.

In her new role, she will be responsible for shaping Stantec’s operational activities for social value across the business.

Emmett brings decades of public and private sector experience to the strategic leadership role. 

In her prior position as Stantec’s infrastructure director of client accounts and growth, Emmett worked closely with stakeholders to identify commercial opportunities and steer the delivery of meaningful impacts on projects. 

She also chaired the Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the University of Reading. This led to the creation of Better Places - a collaborative social value-led research project, as well as Stantec’s Better Places Digital Tool. 

Stantec’s interdisciplinary teams work to positively impact the natural and built environments in alignment with its support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Internally, the firm actively champions diversity, equity, and inclusivity.

Emmett will help define, monitor and measure the broader value that Stantec brings to the communities and environments it serves. 

Working in close collaboration with Stantec’s existing social value consulting offering, this new role strengthens the company’s collective influence on communities and how that is understood across the business and by stakeholders.