Global Team

Alexandre L’Heureux is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. He joined WSP in July 2010 as Chief Financial Officer, and he held this position until he was promoted to President and CEO in October 2016. Mr. L’Heureux’s vision and leadership have been key drivers behind WSPs growth, and during his tenure, the Corporation has completed about 90 global acquisitions, significantly increasing WSP’s geographical presence and bringing its workforce to more than 66,000 talented professionals. 

Mr. L’Heureux brings over 25 years of international experience to WSP, with a strong skillset in finance, mergers and acquisitions and business strategy. Between 2005 and 2010, Mr. L’Heureux was a Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Auven Therapeutics L.L.L.P. Throughout his career, he has developed extensive knowledge of the alternative investments industry. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and of the Chartered Financial Analysts Institute. Mr. L’Heureux was also appointed Fellow of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec (Quebec CPA Order) in 2017. 

Alain Michaud is the Corporation’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He held the role of Senior Vice President, Operational Performance and Strategic Initiatives before transitioning to the role of CFO in February 2020. Before joining WSP, Mr. Michaud was a senior partner at PwC Canada for over 20 years and a member of the Canadian and Quebec Leadership Teams. Mr. Michaud holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Sherbrooke. He obtained his CPA, CA designation in 1997 and was appointed Fellow of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec (Quebec CPA Order) in 2022.

Philippe Fortier was appointed as WSP’s Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary in 2019. Before joining WSP, Mr. Fortier was a partner of the law firm McCarthy Tétrault where he practiced corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, securities law and corporate finance, for over 15 years. He holds a bachelor of law degree from L'Université Laval (Laval University) and is a member of the Quebec Bar.

Chadi Habib was appointed as WSP’s Chief Technology Officer and Head of Business Solutions in July 2022. He has garnered over 25 years of international experience as a senior technology and business transformation executive through his previous roles at CGI, Desjardins Group, and Rio Tinto Engineered Products. Mr. Habib holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from McGill University and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business. In addition to serving on several boards, Mr. Habib shares his expertise in technology as a public speaker and advisor. He is also involved in several initiatives focused on women and diversity in technology.

Megan Van Pelt was appointed as WSP’s Global Chief Human Resources Officer in 2021. She joined WSP in 2017 as Chief Human Resources Officer for WSP USA. With over 25 years of experience, she is responsible for leading both human resources and change management for the organization.  Prior to joining the firm, she held executive leadership roles with Starwood Retail Partners, Jones Lang LaSalle, Sears Holdings Corporation, and Lend Lease. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Xavier University and is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management.

Sandy Vassiadis was appointed as WSP’s Chief Communications Officer in February 2023. She has over 25 years of communications experience in the recreational products, food manufacturing and financial sectors, specializing in corporate communications, public affairs, branding and corporate social responsibility. In her previous role as vice-president at BRP Inc., she oversaw global corporate communications strategies, as well as content creation, media relations, community engagement and corporate social responsibility. Ms. Vassiadis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Université de Montréal and is involved with various charitable organizations in the Montréal area.

Marc Rivard initially joined WSP in 2006, and over an eight-year period, he held numerous senior leadership positions, including President-Canada, Caribbean, and France. He returned to WSP in 2021 as Global Senior Vice President, Operational Performance, after serving as Executive Vice President, Infrastructure Engineering at a global engineering and construction firm for about five years. Mr. Rivard graduated from the University of New Brunswick as an electrical engineer, and he is a member of both Quebec and Ontario professional engineers' associations.

Marc Chabot joined WSP in 2021 and was appointed WSP’s Global Leadership Team in July 2023. In this role, he is overseeing WSP’s Global Client Program across all sectors with a view to anchoring our client-centric culture in our global business and elevating our client partnerships by bringing WSP’s full capabilities to our strategic client relationships. 

In the course of a career spanning over 25 years, Mr. Chabot has led various leadership roles delivering global services to government, energy, and industrial clients. Prior to joining WSP, he was Principal, Senior Vice President, Clients at Golder. He holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Queen’s University and a Master of Engineering from the University of Waterloo. 

Ian Blair joined WSP in 2017 as Managing Director, New Zealand. Mr. Blair has built his reputation predominantly in the banking industry. Prior to joining WSP, he was General Manager-Retail Banking at Westpac New Zealand and Australia, and Principal Consultant at Sapience Limited. Under Mr. Blair’s leadership, WSP in Aotearoa, New Zealand, was a founding member of the Diversity Agenda Accord which aims to promote greater diversity in engineering and architecture. In 2023, he was appointed as WSP’s Global Executive Sponsor for Inclusion & Diversity to support WSP’s commitment to creating a welcoming environment for all. Mr. Blair’s educational background comprises the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD (Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires).

Lewis (Lou) Cornell is the President and Chief Executive Officer of WSP in the USA. Mr. Cornell has over 27 years of extensive and progressive design and management experience in engineering, environmental, architectural and construction support services, most recently with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. He has been successful in running operations, setting the strategy and significantly growing profits for businesses covering Transportation, Water, Environmental, Energy and Buildings Business Lines. Mr. Cornell holds a bachelor’s in civil engineering technology from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Marie-Claude Dumas is WSP in Canada’s President and Chief Executive Officer. She is also WSP's Global Executive Sponsor, for Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ).  She joined WSP in January 2020 as Global Director, Major Projects & Programs/Executive Market Leader – Quebec, working closely with our Global and Canadian operations and leadership teams. A member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, Ms. Dumas brings a proven track record as a global engineering and construction executive with over 20 years of multi-disciplinary management and consulting experience acquired with several multinationals.

Ivy Kong joined the Corporation in January 2019 and known for being a dynamic leader with a result-driven approach. She is a Chartered Engineer with 20 years of experience in professional engineering consulting. Her expertise encompasses client relationship management, business development, project delivery as well as employee development and operations. She has worked extensively across Asia where she has established a strong track record in winning and successfully delivering major infrastructure projects across the region including Greater China, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and India.

Ms. Kong graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil & Structural Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Prior to joining WSP, she held senior management responsibilities at AECOM in Asia.

 

Dean McGrail is WSP’s Chief Executive Officer in the Middle East. Previously, he was Managing Director – Property & Buildings in the same region, a role he held since June 2019. Mr. McGrail joined WSP in Hong Kong in 2002 to start the Asian Fire & Life Safety team; he then moved to WSP in Shanghai as General Manager before heading to Dubai in 2005. Mr. McGrail has over 20 years of experience in professional services and consulting in the construction industry. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) degree from Leeds University and is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE). Mr. McGrail is a member of WSP’s Global Property & Buildings Leadership Team, is the global Practice Area Leader for Building Specialists and is the Middle East sponsor and chair for Inclusivity & Diversity.  

Peter Myers is Chief Executive Officer of WSP in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining WSP in January 2020, he worked for over 15 years as a Chartered Engineer and Director at Atkins, now a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, having previously worked in the oil and gas industry in the Middle East. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Sheffield, as well as a PhD in Fracture Mechanics from University College London.

As a professional engineer, Mr. Myers has a track record of leading successful consulting engineering operations in the UK, Europe, India and the United States. He also has extensive international technical leadership experience, most notably in the aerospace sector. Throughout his career, he has worked extensively in the domains of business leadership, project management, change delivery and business development.

Mark Naysmith joined the Corporation in 1988 and after holding a number of senior board positions, is appointed Chief Executive for the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Mark Naysmith is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with a BEng Hons (1st) in Civil and Transportation Engineering and in 2018 he was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Engineering (Dr.Eng) by Edinburgh Napier University in recognition of the contribution he has made to the built and natural environment. Having started his career as a civil and structural engineer, he spent the majority of his practicing career as a transport planner.  Mark is a member of the Edinburgh Napier University Development Board and is a Fellow of the ICE and CIHT. In 2014, Mark Naysmith was awarded the Association for Consultancy and Engineering - European Chief Executive of the Year Award.

Anna-Lena Öberg-Högsta is CEO of WSP’s Nordics region. Based in Göteborg, Ms. Öberg-Högsta served as Managing Director of several entities in Europe and President of Golder’s European and Middle East region prior to joining WSP. She has a PhD and Adjunct Associate Professor in Civil Engineering from Chalmers Tekniska Högskola, in Goteborg. She also participated in a postdoctoral program in the Department of Geotechnical Engineering at Georgia Tech in the US. She is an expert in geotechnical and environmental engineering, and has more than 28 years of experience working with clients in this area together with more than 20 years of leadership experience.    

Guy Templeton is President and CEO for Asia Pacific. He was previously President and Chief Operating Officer of Parsons Brinckerhoff's Australia Pacific/Asia and southern Africa operating company.  His earlier career was in engineering and consulting in the electricity, transportation, and telecommunications industries. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Minter Ellison Lawyers, the largest law firm in the Asia-Pacific region, whose specializations include infrastructure, energy, and resources industries. He received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of New South Wales. Based in Sydney, Mr. Templeton is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Kevin Beauchamp was appointed as WSP’s Global Director, Mining in 2021. In this role, he is responsible for developing strategy and leveraging WSP’s global resources to best serve the company’s mining clients around the world. In his 25-year tenure with Golder (now part of WSP), Mr. Beauchamp has led various leadership and technical teams while remaining involved with mining projects around the world. A licensed professional engineer in Ontario, Canada, his technical areas of expertise include mine design, rock mechanics, mine optimization and mine closure. Mr. Beauchamp holds a bachelor of engineering in mining engineering from Laurentian University and a master of applied science in geotechnical engineering from the University of Waterloo.

André-Martin Bouchard has more than 25 years of experience in the environmental industry. Since joining WSP in 2006, Mr. Bouchard has played a key role in growing WSP’s Earth and Environment sector. Over the years, he held various leadership positions in Canada, serving most recently as Executive Vice President Environment. He was appointed as WSP’s Global Director, Earth and Environment in 2019 and also acts as WSP’s Global Sponsor, ESG.Before joining WSP, Mr. Bouchard was the Founder and CEO of Strate Environment. Mr. Bouchard is a Professional Environmental Engineer who holds a Bachelor in Civil Engineering, option Environment, from Polytechnique Montréal.

Eric Peissel joined WSP in 2001 and was appointed as WSP’s Global Director, Transport and Infrastructure in 2021. Over the years, he held a number of senior business leadership positions with the Canadian region as well as having delivered projects in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. For over 20 years, he has led the pursuit and delivery of several large-scale transportation and transit projects for both public clients and contractors. Mr. Peissel is a Professional Planner who holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Concordia University and a master’s degree in urban planning from McGill University.

Tom Smith, BSc (Hons), MBA, CEng MIMechE, has been with the Corporation since 1994 and has held a number of senior business leadership positions with our UK, Middle East and India regions as well as being closely associated with many of our flagship projects and strategic clients.  Since 2010 Mr. Smith has focused his efforts on our global agenda and has been instrumental in developing our global culture, connectivity and services. He has worked throughout the Corporation with regional management to develop global initiatives focused on market sectors, global clients and major project bids. In January 2014, Mr. Smith was appointed Global Director, Property and Buildings.

Julianna Fox was appointed Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer for WSP in March 2018. She is responsible for overseeing the global compliance and ethics program and provides strategic advice on matters of business ethics. Ms. Fox previously served as the Global Director of Compliance and Ethics from May 2015 to March 2018. Ms. Fox began her career in legal and regulatory compliance as a litigator in the Montreal-based law firm Fasken, following which she was in-house counsel specializing in matters of regulatory compliance for a large international airline.

Ms. Fox holds an MBA from Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business as well as civil and common law degrees from the University of Ottawa. She is a member of both the Quebec and New York State Bars.