WSP Appoints Dean McGrail as CEO of Middle East Business
Dean McGrail will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer from September 1st, 2021…
WSP today announced that Dean McGrail has been named Chief Executive Officer in the Middle East, replacing Greg Kane, who will take the role of Chief Operations Officer for WSP Australia.
Since first joining WSP in 2002, Dean has established himself as an innovative leader and has been instrumental in showcasing WSP’s commitment to its clients, projects and people. Dean most recently held the position of Managing Director – Property and Buildings – WSP Middle East’s largest business unit, where he was successful in ensuring a focus on quality and technical excellence, whilst also advocating for Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) by chairing WSP Middle East’s I&D committee.
“As an influential leader with over 2 decades of industry experience, Dean brings a proven track record of success in the global engineering and construction sphere alongside an intrinsic understanding of multi-disciplinary consulting. His extensive technical background and visionary leadership across some of the world’s most iconic projects will set the foundation for continued growth as WSP Middle East prepares for its next strategic cycle,” said Greg Kane.
Commenting on his new appointment as CEO, McGrail said: “WSP Middle East is an organisation that excels in leveraging the best people in our industry to create and deliver success for clients and the communities in which we operate. I am proud to be entrusted with the role of CEO and given the opportunity to strengthen WSP Middle East as a leading professional services consultancy in this region. We have a great people culture and I want to ensure that our people continue to thrive as our business builds on the success of its latest strategic cycle.
A vote of confidence
Greg Kane, who has served as CEO of WSP Middle East since May, 2016, will be taking on the role of Chief Operations Officer for WSP Australia from January, 2022. Since joining WSP Middle East as Operations Director in 2013, Greg has been pivotal in steering the organisation’s strategic ambitions and solidifying its client-centric approach.
Under Greg’s leadership as CEO, WSP Middle East has achieved consistent growth year on year, as well as attained Construction Week’s ‘Consultancy of the Year’ award for three out of the last four years alongside Middle East Consultant’s ‘Multi-discipline Consultant of the Year’ award for the last two years.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Middle East, especially the last eight years with WSP. Our business has achieved exceptional results despite the challenging times of late, which is testament to everyone’s ability to remain focused, produce quality work and serve our clients,” Greg said.
“As I embark on my new role with WSP Australia, I’m confident in Dean’s ability to focus on a smooth transition as CEO and to maintain our focus on quality and technical excellence. As for myself, my new position within the business will be a new challenge that I am very much looking forward to.”
Mark Farley appointed to lead Property and Buildings Mark Farley has been selected as McGrail’s successor following a rigorous and structured process which included interviews with Mark Naysmith, CEO for WSP UK & MEIA, Tom Smith, WSP’s Global Director for Property & Buildings and Jane Richards, Head of Discipline – Building Structures, WSP UK.
Mark has been an integral member of WSP Middle East’s Property & Buildings business for over 13 years, most recently as the Director of Building Services, a role he has held since 2018.
Commenting on Mark’s appointment, Dean said: “Mark is known for being a highly motivated and passionate leader with a proven track record of strong leadership, complex project delivery, and work winning. I’m confident that Mark’s technical expertise and experience will drive the next evolution of our Property & Buildings business.”
Mark will assume the role of WSP Middle East’s Managing Director for Property & Buildings from September 1st, 2021 and will become part of WSP Middle East’s Executive Committee.
Click on the video links below to hear more from Dean McGrail and Greg Kane about WSP Middle East’s latest leadership appointments.
