Dubai, United Arab Emirates, (AETOSWire) – Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, is pleased to announce the appointment of Cris Dedigama as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the United Arab Emirates, he will lead the business’s end-to-end advisory, design and engineering and project management services under the Atkins Acuity, Atkins and Faithful+Gould brands.
“For more than 50 years, Atkins has played an integral role in the Middle East and Africa regional transformation through world-class projects and global expertise delivered locally,” said Philip Hoare, President, Atkins. “Through his extensive experience in the infrastructure industry and deep knowledge of the region, Cris brings significant qualities which will enable us to continue cementing our business footprint and lead our future growth.”
Cris is a seasoned executive with over 30 years’ experience leading both projects and businesses in the engineering and construction industries. He joined the SNC-Lavalin Group in 2015 as Senior Vice-President, North Africa, Infrastructure, then was appointed Executive Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Resources in 2017. Throughout his career, Cris has held senior leadership positions in the Middle East, Asia, India and Australia, with responsibility for the management and operations of several large Engineering and Construction firms, delivering complex projects, and expanding activities in the building, infrastructure, and oil and gas industries. He holds a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland.
Together with SNC-Lavalin, a global fully integrated professional services and project management company, Atkins helps clients plan, design and enable major infrastructure projects, and provides expert consultancy that covers the full project lifecycle. Atkins has a track record of delivering flagship projects in the Middle East such as the Dubai Metro, Burj Al Arab, Dubai International Airport and King Abdulaziz International Airport. The company’s end-to-end business advisory, design and engineering and project management services also include Atkins Acuity and Faithful+Gould brands and offerings. Atkins Acuity combines management consulting, financing and technical capabilities to help clients solve complex front-end problems in the built environment. Faithful+Gould provides integrated project and program management consultancy, independently or alongside Atkins.