Costain has appointed Rohan O’Grady as managing director of the Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture (SCS JV) delivering HS2’s London tunnels.
O’Grady will join Costain’s transportation division and be responsible for delivering the London tunnels section of HS2 at what the company described as a critical phase of the programme. Costain said he will focus on safety and productivity to support HS2’s programme reset.
He has more than 20 years’ experience in engineering, project execution, alliance delivery, and executive leadership across infrastructure, energy, and mining.
O’Grady joins from CPB Contractors, the construction and infrastructure arm of Australia-based CIMIC Group. He spent the last four years there as alliance director for the NEWest Alliance, which is delivering A$2.9bn of upgrades to Perth’s METRONET passenger railway, including the 17.5km Thornlie-Cockburn Link and the 14.5km Yanchep Rail Extension.
He was previously chief operating officer at Mineral Resources Limited and BGC Contracting. He also spent 13 years at Leighton Contractors, where he was project director on the Gorgon project for Chevron, described as the largest single resource project in Australia’s history.
Jonathan Willcock, managing director, transportation, at Costain, said: “With his enviable CV and a successful track record at delivering large-scale mega-projects for both the public and private sectors, Rohan will be an excellent addition to Costain and is perfectly placed to lead the fantastic team working as part of the SCS joint venture.
“Under his leadership, HS2’s London tunnels will continue to be delivered safely and efficiently, which will be critical for the new high-speed railway that will add capacity to the network and drive UK prosperity for generations to come.”
O’Grady said: “Costain has a unique heritage and a fantastic reputation for engineering excellence. I’m proud to be taking on the leadership of the SCS JV at such an important stage in the delivery of HS2. This is a project of enormous national significance, and I’m looking forward to working with the world-class expertise and talent that runs throughout the SCS JV to maintain momentum, ensure safety and build on the strong foundations that are already in place.”
Earlier this year, Costain was selected by Transport for London to join its Infrastructure Improvement Framework, which covers upgrade works at South Kensington tube station and works to enable TfL’s step-free access programme.
Main image: Rohan O’Grady, managing director, Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture
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