Juan Zorrilla appointed Region General Manager for the US Mid-Continent Region
With over 20 years of experience in water engineering and project management, Juan has been involved in the design, construction, and commissioning of water and wastewater treatment plants, pipelines, channels, basins, dams, groundwater bores, and pump stations. He has also served as a Procurement Advisor, Construction Superintendent, Project and Contract Manager, and Cost Estimator, demonstrating a broad understanding of contract law and risk management.
Juan's career at GHD began 17 years ago as a project engineer in Geelong, Australia. He has since held various roles in Australia and the Philippines, including Business Group Leader, Major Projects Lead, and Operations Manager. Juan also served as the Region General Manager of the Chile region, where he led the Chilean operations to unprecedented growth and profitability, with a fourfold increase in headcount, the establishment of a workshare team, and a significant backlog expansion.
Juan's extensive experience includes the successful delivery of complex multidisciplinary water infrastructure projects. He has worked and managed teams and projects across six continents, becoming adept at working in different environments and cultures. Prior to his current role, Juan was the Operations Manager in GHD Philippines, responsible for global workshare and providing technical solutions to our global network.
"I am convinced that long-term relationships with clients and the attraction of transformational talent are inseparable from creating value through projects. Hence, technical excellence and efficient project delivery lie at the heart of our business.”
What emerging market-facing challenges do you foresee in the US Mid-Continent Region, and how do you plan to address them?
The US Mid-Continent region has a huge potential to become the “engine room” of the Americas. We seek to seize opportunities that arise from a rapidly changing world while defending our strong position in the environment market with our existing solid client relationships. Also, we are determined to grow and diversify into water and new energy, in line with GHD’s vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come.
What role do you see technology playing in the future of infrastructure development in the US Mid-Continent Region?
Automation, digital and data management tools allow us to concentrate our efforts towards providing high-value solutions for our clients. This data-driven working mindset not only sets us apart from our competition but also allows our clients to develop future-proof infrastructure designed with data at its core.
How will you leverage your experiences and background to support our clients in the region?
I've been at GHD for 17 years, starting as a Project Engineer in a regional office, and I have been fortunate enough to have held many client-facing and leadership positions in Australia, Philippines, Chile and now in USA, that gives me a deep understanding of GHD's value proposition, making sure that what we bring to the table makes sense to different clients, markets and geographies.
Over the past six years in Chile, together we have transformed our region into a vibrant, profitable, connected, and well-diversified operation that has grown 4X with a solid focus on providing long-lasting solutions for our clients, I am excited to continue our journey towards normalizing a mindset of growth, profitability, and continuous improvement to strengthen US Mid-Continent Region.
Acerca de GHD
GHD es una empresa líder en servicios profesionales que opera en los mercados mundiales de agua, energía y recursos, medio ambiente, infraestructura y edificaciones, y transporte. Comprometidos con la visión de garantizar que el agua, la energía y las comunidades sean sostenibles para las futuras generaciones, GHD ofrece soluciones en consultoría, servicios digitales, ingeniería, arquitectura, medio ambiente y construcción a clientes del sector público y privado. Fundada en 1928 y propiedad de sus trabajadores, GHD cuenta con una red de más de 12.000 profesionales en más de 160 oficinas en cinco continentes.