The board of directors of Bechtel, a global leader in engineering, procurement, and construction, has unanimously elected Chief Executive Officer Brendan Bechtel chairman of Bechtel Group, Inc. (BGI).
Brendan succeeds his father, Riley Bechtel, who served as CEO from 1990 to 2014, and as BGI Chairman since 1996. The younger Bechtel now holds the dual titles and responsibilities of chairman and CEO.
Brendan Bechtel was appointed CEO in September 2016, after serving in leadership positions at the company and managing the delivery of several of Bechtel's megaprojects, including Queensland Curtis LNG in Australia, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, and the Dulles Corridor Metrorail.
"I am deeply grateful to the board for electing me as chairman, and on behalf of our 50,000 colleagues, as well as the four generations of my family who have held this position before me, I am committed to leading our company to the highest ethical standards and always remaining true to our core values," Brendan said. "We live in an increasingly competitive world, and Bechtel will continue to meet the needs of our customers by continuously developing the skills of our talented colleagues and improving the diversity of our workforce. We will build on our 119-year legacy of creating long-term careers, full of purpose and positive impact, here in the United States and around the world."
Riley Bechtel will now serve as a non-executive director.
"There was no greater professional honor for me than to have led thousands of my dedicated colleagues as we worked together to build the best and safest projects in the world," Riley Bechtel said. "I share with my fellow directors the utmost confidence in Brendan's ability to lead Bechtel in its next chapter as we build the best projects for the world."
During his tenure as CEO, Brendan has spearheaded an initiative to make the company leaner and more competitive and has implemented a strategy to infuse innovation into every aspect of delivering projects.
Under his leadership, the company received its 18th consecutive honor as the top-ranked contractor by Engineering News-Record, (ENR) and earned a series of industry honors including Construction Project of the Year Award by S&P Global Platts and ENR's Global Best Project Award in the power/industrial category for its Curtis Island Liquefied Natural Gas program in Australia, in which Brendan played a leadership role.
Earlier this month, Brendan launched Bechtel's sustainability goals, which serve as a benchmark for the entire construction industry to follow. Bechtel also served as a key delivery partner for the film Dream Big, aimed at inspiring students to pursue STEM-related careers.
Before being elected CEO, Brendan held positions as president and chief operating officer, improving delivery throughout the company's business lines and underscoring the importance of performing as promised and consistently delivering value for customers.
Brendan has a bachelor of arts degree from Middlebury College and earned dual master's degrees from Stanford University in business and construction engineering and management. He is a member of the Business Roundtable, the American Society of Corporate Executives, and serves on the board of trustees for the National Geographic Society.
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