New Technical Director at BBGE

Tony Suckling has been appointed to the role of Technical Director at Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering (BBGE). Tony joins BBGE from Arup where he was responsible for the technical and financial success of a variety of geotechnical engineering projects. Tony is a Fellow of the ICE (Institute of Civil Engineers), is past chairman of the FPS’ (Federation of Piling Specialists) technical committee and is currently chairman of the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) sustainability committee and a board member of the Deep Foundation Institute Europe.

Tony returns to BBGE after two years to take over the Technical Director role which was held by Viv Troughton. Tony previously worked as Technical Development Manager at BBGE and was responsible for the development of Green Siesta, the first carbon calculating tool for piles developed in the UK. Viv had been with the Company for 13 years as Technical Director for BBGE (formerly Stent Foundations) and has now returned to his roots as a consultant with Arup.

Viv said: “I am happy to leave BBGE in good hands. I have worked with Tony for many years at BBGE and I have no doubt that Tony will continue to progress the company, and in turn our industry, in terms of technical innovations and solutions".

We welcome Tony and wish Viv all the best with his new role at Arup.

BBGE offer clients a fully integrated service

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering (BBGE) has confirmed changes to its structure following a period of reorganisation.

Established in 2007, BBGE comprised of the constituent businesses Stent Foundations, Pennine Vibropiling and Branlow Piling, each a leader in their respective geotechnical fields.

Following a review of the existing and future markets together with an assessment of how best to serve their customers going forward, the three businesses have been amalgamated and will now solely trade as Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering.

Commenting today, Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering Managing Director, Graham Wren, said:

“Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering combines the strengths of our existing businesses Stent, Pennine and Branlow. Whilst these companies have successfully grown by focussing on their core techniques we appreciated that an integrated ground engineering service could only be achieved by pulling the companies together and merging into one business.

"By working together as a single team we are in a much better position to streamline our processes and provide our customers with the right ground engineering solution each and every time.”

James McNeill appointed Ireland Business Development Manager

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering (BBGE) has appointed geotechnics specialist James McNeill to lead a major new business drive in Ireland.  McNeill, who comes from Coleraine in Northern Ireland, will be responsible for further expanding the business in northern and southern Ireland.

The appointment signifies the company’s strong commitment to the Irish market as well as its intention to grow.

McNeill will represent all BBGE companies in Ireland with the aim of providing a one stop shop for Clients. 

James will be the main contact for new business opportunities in Ireland for BBGE. He will divide his time between the group’s offices in Belfast and Dublin.

“We believe that there are opportunities in Ireland and we want to strengthen our presence in this important market.  By aligning our divisional businesses we have the best possible chance of securing any ground engineering projects available,” explains BBGE Executive Director Graham Wren.

 “James knows the Irish market extremely well and he understands the innovative techniques and services provided by each BBGE company.  He will be able to offer clients fully integrated solutions in ground improvement, remediation and piling which will deliver clear cost and project management benefits”.

Whilst BBGE has won jobs in Ireland before through its subsidiary companies, Wren is optimistic that the new business drive will secure more ground engineering projects for the group and provide work for local suppliers.

“We have the capacity to take on a wide range of contracts from small ground improvement works for residential developers to major infrastructure projects.  As a group, we are able to compete at every level,” he adds.

Well respected in the geotechnics field, McNeill is a past chair of the Northern Ireland Geotechnical Group and an honorary lecturer at Queen’s University in Belfast.  He is a well known speaker at industry conferences and was awarded the Geotechnical prize by the Institution of Engineers Ireland for a paper on Vibro-Techniques for Ground Improvement in Ireland in 2008.  Before joining BBGE, he held positions with Keller Ground Engineering in Ireland and Coffey Partners, a large geotechnical consultancy in Australia.

Commenting on his appointment, McNeill says:

“BBGE is a unique group and brings more to the table than our competitors. Part of the renowned and respected Balfour Beatty brand, BBGE offers a wider range of innovative techniques and services than any other ground engineering contractor. There is always work to be won for contractors who offer something different to the market place and I am confident that BBGE’s leading design solutions will give us the edge to secure more projects in Ireland,” he adds.