Atkins, a leading design, engineering and project management consultancy and a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, has announced the appointment of Cris Dedigama as its new chief executive for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

Based in the UAE, Dedigama 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.

He is a seasoned executive with over 30 years’ experience leading both projects and businesses in the engineering and construction industries.

Dedigama joined the SNC-Lavalin Group in 2015 as Senior VP (North Africa) Infrastructure, and then two years later he was appointed Executive VP (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Resources.

Throughout his career, he had 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 besides 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.

Lauding the appointment, Atkins President Philip Hoare said: "Through his extensive experience in the infrastructure industry and deep knowledge of the region, Dedigama brings significant qualities which will enable us to continue cementing our business footprint and lead our future growth."

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, said Hoare.

"For more than 50 years, Atkins has played an integral role in the MEA regional transformation through world-class projects and global expertise delivered locally," he stated.

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, he added.-TradeArabia News Service