RSK is delighted to announce the appointment of Mark Smith into a new role as Strategic Business Development Director for the water sector. With sector leading brands including WRc, Binnies (formally the Black & Veatch water businesses in UK, Hong Kong and Singapore) and Nicholas O’Dwyer, plus a wealth of specialist skills across the group, RSK has developed a strong footing in the water sector and has a strategic aim to develop this further, becoming a leading global player.
After 32 years at WRc, most recently as the CEO, Mark brings a wealth of experience into his new role. He joined WRc after graduating as a Chemical Engineer from Cork Regional Technical College (now Munster Technological University) in 1989 and learnt his trade as a wastewater engineer in the process optimisation division. He worked on secondment for two years in the USA and later on many different international projects in South America, the Middle East and Asia as a process expert. Mark was appointed as Managing Director of WRc in 2011 and in 2015 became CEO of the WRc group. Mark is also the current Chairman of The Future Water Association and will continue in that role.
Strengthening its presence in the water sector is a key strategic aim for RSK. In 2020, the group acquired the UK-based WRc (350 employees) and Ireland-based water engineer Nicholas O’Dwyer (200 employees). In 2021, the 1,400-strong UK and Asia water businesses from Black & Veatch (now rebranded as Binnies) also joined the RSK group. With Mark’s appointment, RSK will look to become a leading global player in the sector. Mark will work alongside all of RSK’s existing businesses to develop a unique offering based on green engineering and achieving Net Zero Carbon.
“The water sector is hugely important for RSK and currently represents about half of our business,” commented Alan Ryder, CEO of RSK. “I am looking forward to working with Mark in his new role, exploring opportunities to further develop our offering on the global stage.”
“This is a fantastic opportunity to work with world-class colleagues and brands to create a completely different type of water business,” said Mark. “The major global problems we face as a society are almost all environmental and RSK’s heritage is in the environmental sector. With my experience in the international water sector and my colleagues’ expertise in green solutions it is a truly exciting opportunity to be part of creating a more sustainable, resilient and greener future.”