November 11 2011
Des Whybird has stepped down from his role as GHD’s Chairman
following the company’s Annual Board Meeting in November,
announcing his retirement from the company. Des has held the
position for three years and prior to that was GHD’s CEO for five
years. A board member for 12 years, Des is a recognised industry
leader across Australia, where he has made a major contribution to
infrastructure during his 38 year career with GHD.
Russell Board has been announced the company’s
new Chairman, formally taking over from Des in November 2011. Well
known to many in the GHD network and across the industry itself,
Russell has held management roles in the Northern Territory,
Queensland, New Zealand, South East Asia, South America and
most recently, as General Manager for Australia and New
Zealand. A board member since 1999, Russell has demonstrated a
capacity for leadership and sound judgement in all matters of
strategy and governance.
Commenting on his appointment, Russell
offered, “I am delighted to be received as GHD’s Chairman. I am
passionate about the company, and excited by the opportunities
which lie ahead. To have so many wonderful, talented people all
working to position GHD as a leader in each of our five global
markets will no doubt guide us toward success.”
GHD CEO Ian Shepherd has been re-appointed for
a further three years, a validation of his strong performance in
leading the company through recent challenging market conditions,
maintaining revenue of around AUD1 billion for the past three years
and taking advantage of emerging opportunities. GHD is now ranked
52nd in the Engineers News Record Top 150 Global Design
Firms Survey, and has collected more than 50 awards in the
last 12 months.
For more information, please contact Kane Dowsett