Home / About us / Executive board Executive board The directors of the Mott MacDonald Executive Board lead a global business which has common models of employee ownership, structure and management throughout the organisation. Collectively the board brings worldwide management and operations experience across diverse industry backgrounds to its remit of continually advancing our employee-owned business in line with our vision, mission and values, and protecting the company’s long-term stability and vitality. The board is held to account by our employee shareholders. Mike Haigh Mike became Chair of our Executive Board in July 2019. Of his many contributions to our business strategy, he’s known as a vocal advocate for social outcomes, technical excellence and digital technology, and the opportunities that this can bring to infrastructure projects. Digital transformation continues to be a major focus, creating innovative new services for clients and integrating technology into all facets of new and existing infrastructure to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits. Mike is also a proponent of employee ownership and the creative, innovative and economics benefits such firms offer. He’s helping advance our global wellbeing and mental health programmes and our award-winning approach to equality, diversity and inclusion – which led him to being named by The Women’s Business Council and Management Today as one of the top 30 men tackling gender inequality in the workplace. Mike joined Mott MacDonald after graduating from the University of Leeds in 1981, beginning his career as an engineer in the firm’s water sector business before taking diverse roles of increasing seniority. 2017 to 2019, Mike was the consultancy’s Group managing director responsible for the day-to-day management and operational performance of the global business. Prior to this, he served as regional managing director of company’s Europe and Africa (EUNA) business, and its Middle East and South Asia business. Earlier in his career Mike was director of Mott MacDonald’s water and environment business. In 2013 he became a Group board director. Mike was chairman of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering in 2017. James Harris James Harris took on the role of Group managing director in July 2019. He’s had a leading role in several of our core initiatives such as embedding carbon reduction in operational and project decision making and expanding support for clients to tackle climate change and build resilience. James was a member of the UK Green Construction Board’s Infrastructure Working Group, which produced the seminal Infrastructure Carbon Review (ICR) for HM Treasury in 2013, followed by the world’s first international standard for managing infrastructure carbon, PAS 2080. With the ICR setting out the principle that major cost efficiencies could be achieved by decarbonising the delivery and operation of infrastructure assets, PAS 2080 explained how to do it. James is also known for his pivotal contribution in our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, both in galvanising colleague engagement and championing collaboration with clients to advance improvements in the wider industry. He was named a Leading Ally Executive by LGBT+ professional networking organisation OUTstanding together with the Financial Times. James joined Mott MacDonald as a graduate after studying civil and structural engineering at University College Cardiff, beginning his career as an engineer in our UK water business in 1990 before moving overseas to work on some of the company’s major civil engineering projects in Hong Kong. James then returned to the UK in 2002 and held a number of senior roles before becoming managing director of Mott MacDonald’s water business and its Mott MacDonald Bentley joint venture. James was appointed to the executive board in 2017, when he became managing director for its UK and Europe region. Ian Galbraith Ian was appointed to the Board in January 2018 and is responsible for Group Strategy. Ian joined Mott MacDonald in 2002 leading the Programme Management Division. He subsequently took responsibility in 2010 for the Groups’ Europe, Russia and Africa businesses, moving in 2016 to a Regional Managing Director position across Asia-Pacific and Australasia based out of the Singapore office. Prior to being the Group Strategy Director he was responsible for Group Operations. In his strategy role he is responsible for the development of a consistent forward-looking business strategy which delivers strong profitable growth and continued differentiation; all considering our purpose, industry dynamics, the geopolitical landscape, technological change, market opportunity and societal flux. Ed Roud Ed Roud was appointed the Group's finance director and elected to the Group Board on 1 January 2014. Ed joined Mott MacDonald in 1999 as the Group's financial controller and was appointed financial officer in 2005 responsible for the financial strategy and development of the Mott MacDonald Group worldwide. He also assisted the Board on a wider set of operational initiatives outside finance which led to his appointment to the Board in 2014. In his role as finance director, Ed manages shareholder funds and borrowings, implements the strategy for group funding and financial performance and is responsible for the management of financial risk. He works with the rest of the Board to optimise the Group’s profitability and use of capital, to maximise shareholder value and to meet the expectations of other stakeholder. Ed is a chartered accountant and holds an MA (Hons) Economics degree from Edinburgh University. He started his career with Deloitte, working in audit and corporate finance. Prior to joining Mott MacDonald, Ed spent four years at ICI as corporate reporting manager. His experience prior to joining the Group has brought a wider perspective in developing some of the company’s recent financial initiatives. Nick De Nichilo Nick was appointed to the board in April 2016 and is responsible for our business in North America. Prior to this, Nick was President and CEO of Hatch Mott MacDonald, a joint venture company established in 1996 by Mott MacDonald and Hatch to take advantage of infrastructure opportunities in North America. He guided the company through an extraordinary period of growth and profitability. Presently, Nick is the President and CEO of Mott MacDonald in North America (NASA). A professional engineer with over 45 years of experience and a specialty in water and wastewater, Nick has become a widely respected leader in the profession, frequently quoted by Engineering News-Record, Civil Engineering, and other publications. He is a leading voice on behalf of safe engineering practices, technical innovation, and the importance of designing for resilience in a time of increasingly severe weather. Nick is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and a recipient of ASCE’s prestigious Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Award and John I. Parcel–Leif J. Sverdrup Civil Engineering Management Award. He is a recipient of the George Warren Fuller Award from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) for his distinguished professional and volunteer service in the water field. In 2020 Nick was selected as an Honorary Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (Hon.D.WRE) in the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. Nick is a member and past chair of the ASCE Industry Leaders Council, a past Chair of the New Jersey Section of AWWA, and a past Chair of the Newark College of Engineers Board of Visitors. He is a member of the ASCE Design Professionals Coalition, previously served on the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Board of Overseers, and presently serves as vice chair of the NJIT Board of Trustees , the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Innovation Institute, and Rutgers University’s New Jersey Climate Adaptation Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Industry Board of Center for Buildings, Infrastructure and Public Space at Columbia University. Denise Bower Professor Denise Bower OBE joined the Mott MacDonald Executive Board as Group external engagement director in January 2020. She is responsible for client and partner relationships and thought leadership activity, along with the supporting business functions of marketing and internal engagement and communications. Denise is responsible for driving improvements in the delivery of major projects and for Mott MacDonald’s corporate commitments on global issues. She works with external organisations that are bringing about transformative action on climate change and sits on the steering committee of the Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI), which is a flagship initiative for COP 26 in the UK. Denise has had an impressive career in the infrastructure industry. She is very well known through her role as the executive director of the Major Projects Association and as Professor in the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds. Denise was a long-standing member of the Infrastructure Client Group and has worked closely with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority to improve major project preparation and delivery. She has worked with numerous sponsor and client organisations, helping to shape major projects and programmes. 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