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Gord Johnston to head Canadian engineering consultancy Stantec

Global design and civil engineering consultancy Stantec has appointed Gord Johnston as its next chief executive and president from January 1, 2018.Johnston, who is executive vice president of Stantec’s infrastructure business operating unit, takes over from Bob Gomes, who retires.
July 21, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Gord Johnston
Stantec’s Gord Johnston: looking for a bigger global presence

Global design and civil engineering consultancy Stantec has appointed Gord Johnston as its next chief executive and president from January 1, 2018.

Johnston, who is executive vice president of 5346 Stantec’s infrastructure business operating unit, takes over from Bob Gomes, who retires.

The acquisitive Canadian company, based in Edmonton, completed nearly 50 acquisitions during the past eight years. Many have been in the US where it receives around half its revenue.

Johnston, with the company more than 20 years, has been active in the firm’s acquisition sourcing and integration efforts, particularly with the 2016 purchase of MWH Global, Stantec’s largest acquisition to date. He highlighted Stantec’s expansion plans in a %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 2 30661 0 oLinkExternal World Highways feature Stantec Infrastructure Weblink false /sections/general/features/stantec-coming-to-an-infrastructure-site-near-you/ false false%> in March this year.

Johnston has also served on Stantec’s disclosure committee, the integrity management team as well as the executive health, safety, security and environment committee. He has served on the board of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies in Canada. Johnston earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Alberta before completing the Harvard Business School's Leading Professional Services Firms programme.

Additionally, he is a credited Envision Sustainability Professional through the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, based in Washington, DC.

Gomes held several leadership positions before being appointed president and chief executive in 2009. He has overseen successful expansion into multiple global markets, including Europe, India, New Zealand, Australia, South America and the Middle East. Gross revenue has risen nearly 230% during his tenure, from $1.5 billion to $4.8 billion so far this year.

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