WSP Group – engineering consultants

WSP Group

Group Board

Ian Barlow

Ian Barlow FCA Non-Executive Chairman


Ian joined the Board of WSP in September 2011 when he was appointed non-executive Chairman. He has extensive and wide business experience and is a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committees of Smith & Nephew, PA Consulting Group and The Brunner Investment Trust. He is also Chairman of The Racecourse Association. Previously he was a Senior Partner, London at KPMG. Ian chairs the WSP nomination committee.



Christopher Cole

Christopher Cole C Eng FCIBSE MASHRAE - Chief Executive


Chris was appointed to the Board as Managing Director in 1987 when the Company listed on the London Stock Exchange having been a partner in the original company since its inception. He subsequently adopted the title of Chief Executive in 2001. He chairs the Performance Committee and Global Leadership Team and is responsible for both operational control and strategic direction of the Group. Chris maintains significant client contact, together with regular liaison with WSP offices around the world. He is also Chairman of Ashtead Group plc.



Peter Gill

Peter Gill FCA - Group Finance Director


Peter was appointed to the Board in 2009 and is a Chartered Accountant. He has had broad experience including roles as Finance Director of The Rank Group plc, the international leisure business; Xansa plc, the IT services and outsourcing group which is now part of Groupe Steria, and Penguin Group, the international consumer book division of Pearson plc.



Rikard Appelgren

Rikard Appelgren MSc – Executive Director


Rikard was appointed to the Board in 2010. Following an early career in consulting and contracting working in Sweden and Germany, Rikard joined WSP Sweden in 1996. In 2002 he was appointed its Managing Director and Managing Director of WSP Europe in 2006. He is principally responsible for the Group’s European business and the development of the industrial businesses across the Group.



Paul Dollin

Paul Dollin BEng PhD – Executive Director


Paul was appointed to the Board in 2010 and is a Chartered Engineer. He holds a PhD in material science and following a period with British Energy, joined Atkins in 1999 where he held a number of roles, latterly Managing Director of their Design and Engineering business, and a member of its Executive Committee. He is principally responsible for WSP’s UK business.



Stuart McLachlan

Stuart McLachlan MSc - Executive Director


Stuart was appointed to the Board in 2006 and is principally responsible for WSP’s Environment & Energy business. Having worked both as a practising environmental consultant and a manager of a London based environmental and testing firm, Stuart joined WSP in 1995 to be responsible for the start-up of the Group’s Environmental business. He became Managing Director of WSP Environmental UK in 1997 and Managing Director of the Group’s global Environment & Energy business in 2001. He sits on the Environmental Leadership Teams of BiTC and the MayDay Network.



Christopher Stephens

Christopher Stephens MA - Senior Independent Non-Executive Director


Chris was appointed to the Board in 2003. He has many years’ experience in a range of industries including consumer, high technology and business services. Until 2004 he was the Group Human Resources Director of Exel plc (now DHL), the global logistics company. In February 2011 he was appointed as Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission. Chris chairs the WSP remuneration committee.



Anders Karlsson

Anders Karlsson - Independent Non-Executive Director


Anders was first appointed to the Board in 2009. He is an industrial advisor to the Ratos AB private equity group and has broad international experience. He chairs the board of H&H International A/S and is a non-executive director of Lindab International AB, both of which are publicly quoted companies. Anders is also nonexecutive chairman of the supervisory board of WSP Europe AB and holds several other board positions with private companies in Sweden and Denmark.



Mark Rollins

Mark Rollins BEng ACA - Independent Non-Executive Director


Mark was appointed to the Board in 2006. He has held the position of Chief Executive of Senior plc since 2008, having previously been its Group Finance Director for eight years. He is a Chartered Accountant and was formerly with the Morgan Crucible Company plc and, before that, with BDO Binder Hamlyn.



Huw Davies

Huw Davies FCA Independent Non-Executive Director


Huw was appointed to the Board in January 2011 and is a Chartered Accountant. He has been Chief Financial Officer of the Wates Group Limited since 2005, having previously been head of corporate finance with Taylor Woodrow. He has held key positions with KPMG, Ernst & Young and the Government of Oman. He chairs the WSP audit committee.