Costain has appointed Jonathan Willcock as managing director of its transport division.
Willcock, who has led Skanska’s infrastructure arm for the past three years, will take responsibility for Costain’s highways, rail and aviation work in April.
Prior to joining Skanska, Willcock spent seven years as managing director of Alstom Transport UK’s systems, signaling and infrastructure division.
He will replace Sue Kershaw, who left Costain last month after four years with the company.
The appointment comes at a troubled time for Costain’s transport arm as the company tries to move away from its focus on road schemes and the HS2 high-speed rail project.
In June, that withdrew from the £1.3 billion A66 Northern Trans-Pennine upgrade less than a year after being appointed by National Highways.
A £100 million roads scheme for Lancashire County Council also fell when the works were suspended by the local authority pending a reassessment in the light of rising costs.
In May, Costain’s work to improve barriers on the M62 it was canceled following a national highways assessment.
Chief executive Alex Vaughan said infrastructure would play an important role in the company’s response to the challenges of climate change and economic growth.
“I know that Jonathan’s addition to our executive team will help Costain contribute positively to these challenges and support the growth and diversification of our services in the transport market,” he added.
Mr Willcock said Costain had a strong reputation in the infrastructure sector and had enjoyed working with the company on collaborative projects.
“The breadth of Costain’s service offering is a unique selling point, and I’m looking forward to building our relationships with our transport customers and showing how we can meet their needs,” he said.
Group chief commercial officer David Taylor, who has been in the role on an interim basis, will remain in the role until Willcock’s arrival.
