This audio is automatically generated. Please let us know if you have any comments.
Dive Brief:
- London-based Balfour Beatty has made changes to its C-suite make-up, adding two people to the roles of chief information officer and chief procurement officer, the contractor. announced on September 5.
- The multinational builder tapped Jon Ozanne as its new CIO and Evan Sutherland as its chief purchasing officer, the company said. Both Ozanne and Sutherland were promoted to these new roles.
- Both appointments will support the company’s long-term focus on technology and innovation, the statement said. Balfour Beatty sees both areas as a strategic imperative for the construction and infrastructure industry, and will use the appointments to create further improvements in safety, productivity and digital capabilities.
Diving knowledge:
Ozanne joined Balfour Beatty in 2015 to lead the transformation of Balfour Beatty’s IT function and was subsequently promoted to UK IT Director. In 2019, he was promoted to the role of UK Chief Information Officer. Prior to Ozanne’s promotion, he was a trained accountant, according to the firm.
In his role as the company’s new CIO, Ozanne is responsible for coordinating digital and IT initiatives, including cybersecurity and the adoption of artificial intelligence.
Sutherland joined Balfour Beatty in 2015 as UK purchasing director, according to the company. Sutherland will now lead all procurement and supply chain initiatives across the company, while retaining his previous responsibilities as head of the UK procurement and supply chain functions.
Both Ozanne and Sutherland will report directly to Leo Quinn, CEO of Balfour Beatty.
The conundrum of construction AI
The promotions at Balfour Beatty come at a time when both the company and the wider industry are trying to solve the conundrum of how AI can reasonably fit in the sector
“It’s a pivotal moment for the construction and infrastructure industry, with comprehensive digital tools and technologies to drive the industry’s productivity challenge,” Ozanne said in the statement.
During its FY23 earnings call on March 13, Quinn confirmed that the company was developing its own application based on artificial intelligencecalled StoaOne AI, which had searched 8,000 documents for information to pass on and help the project teams. The company is also working with Microsoft to develop more technology in-house.
