Philip Hoare joins in September to take charge of country’s biggest contractor
Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn is stepping down after more than a decade in the role.
Quinn, who turns 69 in December, joined the business at the start of 2015 from technology firm QinetiQ with his first results meeting in March that year seeing him preside over a £300m pre-tax loss for 2014 on revenue of £8.8bn.
In its last set of results, the firm, which is due to announce its 2024 results next week, made a pre-tax profit of £244m in 2023 on turnover of £9.5bn.
Quinn will be replaced by Philip Hoare, chief operating officer at consultant AtkinsRéalis, who joins in September.
Balfour Beatty, the country’s biggest contractor, said Quinn will be staying on for several months “to ensure a seamless transition”.
Balfour chairman Charles Allen said: “On behalf of the board, I pay tribute to Leo for his exceptional and inspirational leadership of both Balfour Beatty and the industry over the last decade.
“Leo has transformed Balfour Beatty into a strong, resilient Group, setting it firmly on a trajectory of profitable growth. This is underpinned by a culture across its workforce which is committed to expertise, discipline and excellence, resulting in a trusted reputation for delivering value for all stakeholders.”
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Quinn said: “It has been my great privilege to lead Balfour Beatty through over 10 years of transformation into a focused and leading international infrastructure Group. I believe that our industry-leading safety performance, financial strength and strategic position in growth markets come from directly investing in outstanding people to ensure what is now an enviable 115-year heritage.”
Hoare has been at AtkinsRéalis for nearly 30 years having joined the business, when it was known as Atkins, in 1997.
Atkins was bought by Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin in 2017 and then rebranded as AtkinsRéalis two years ago. It is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Balfour said Hoare, who was appointed COO at AtkinsRéalis at the start of last year, had been chosen “following an extensive international search”.
Allen added: “I am delighted Philip will join the Group as chief executive. The selection process made clear that his depth of industry knowledge and his experience in delivering a profitable growth strategy across multiple geographies make him the ideal person to drive forward the Group’s success in our chosen markets.”
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