News Sep 20, 2019

Jacobs Employees to Sit on Council and Board of Professional Institutions

Three Jacobs employees based in the U.K. have been chosen to take on roles within their respective professional institutions.

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Andy Alder and Yan Zhou

The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) has selected Jacobs’ European Operating Unit Quality Manager Matthew Jack to join the board as a Co-Opted Trustee, helping to shape the strategies and policies of the institution.

In November, Jacobs’ Buildings and Infrastructure Europe Divisional Director in the Major Programs and Projects Group (MPPG) Yan Zhou (right, main picture) and Jacobs’ Buildings and Infrastructure Europe Program Director for Thames Tideway  Andy Alder (left, main picture), will both join the Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) for three years, Yan as Regional Member for London and Andy as General Member. Among other responsibilities, the council at the ICE represents the views of members of the Institution to the Board of Trustees. 

CIWEM: Meet Matthew Jack

Matthew Jack shares his aspirations on his work with CIWEM

Matthew Jack

Since starting an apprenticeship in civil engineering in 2012 and later joining Jacobs as a graduate engineer, Matthew has worked on projects in water, energy, waste, consulting, highways, environment and flooding, and is now chartered as both an environmentalist and a water and environment manager.

He is also a former recipient of the CIWEM’s Young Environmentalist of the Year Award and would like to use his new position to help open doors for others. “Seven years ago I was stacking shelves in a grocery store; the only reason I’m here now is because I was offered an opportunity,” he says. “I was lucky enough to be given a chance to do something meaningful and rewarding, and since then my life has completely changed.” 

“I would like to use my position to raise the profile of the industry and the CIWEM and leverage the opportunities I’ve had to those who, like me, may not necessarily even know it is an option,” Matthew adds. 

ICE: Meet Andy Alder

With 25 years of experience leading the delivery of major infrastructure projects, Andy will join Yan on the ICE Council in November. Having worked on several well-known infrastructure projects in the U.K. throughout his career including High Speed 1, which links London to the Channel Tunnel, Crossrail, which is a new railway line under development in London, and the Jubilee Line Extension of the London Underground, Andy is now program director on the Thames Tideway project.

Andy reflects, “I’ve been fortunate enough to work on several major projects that provide huge benefits to society and have had several key mentors that have helped me develop my career. I, in turn, do my best to support younger team members in their own career development having benefitted hugely from mentoring myself.”

In his current role, Andy is responsible for all aspects of delivery and construction work and for leading the Jacobs Tideway Project Management Team. Tideway is a major infrastructure project in the U.K. to build a new deep sewer across London to intercept millions of tons of untreated sewage that flow into the River Thames each year.

“The ICE does important work in advancing best practice in infrastructure delivery and providing advice on sustainable infrastructure development. I’m looking forward to serving the ICE Council to continue to progress the aims of the Institution. Particularly, to help extend the best practice we have developed and implemented on Tideway across the wider industry,” Andy says.  

ICE: Meet Yan Zhou

One of the youngest Fellows of the ICE, Yan has been involved with the institution’s activities and committees for the last ten years. In his role as divisional director of MPPG, his responsibilities include strategy development and implementation, portfolio management and reporting and knowledge management.

Having spent several years mentoring ICE graduates, Yan wants to use his new position on the ICE council to help continue the improvement of equality, diversity, and inclusion performance within the institution and the wider industry.

Speaking about his recent appointment, Yan shares, “I’m thrilled to have been elected as an ICE Council Regional Member and look forward to helping shape the future of the institution, acting as a point of contact to communicate the policies and strategies to the members in London and bring their views and feedback to the Council.

“London is progressively introducing strategies to become more connected and more sustainable – creating opportunities for a better quality of life for all. Being part of ICE’s work in London enables us to share expertise and help stakeholders find new, better ways of working.”