UK construction and infrastructure business Balfour Beatty has hired Ed Egerton as chief legal and commercial officer, replacing group general counsel Tracey Wood.
Egerton is joining from global engineering, design and project management business AtkinsRéalis, where most recently he served as acting GC. At Balfour Beatty, he will be responsible for its commercial, legal, procurement and company secretariat functions, as well as risk management. He will report directly to group CEO Philip Hoare when Egerton joins in September.
London-headquartered Balfour Beatty employs 26,000 people across the UK, US and Hong Kong. Its three key business areas include infrastructure investments, construction services and support services.
Hoare said: “Ed is a proven leader with deep international experience, outstanding commercial instinct and a strong track record of delivering results in complex global businesses. He combines sharp strategic thinking with real operational credibility and understands how strong commercial and legal functions can help drive performance, unlock opportunity and create long-term value.
“Just as importantly, Ed is a collaborative and people-focused leader who knows how to build high-performing teams and lead transformation at scale.”
Hoare added that Egerton’s experience across infrastructure, energy, risk, technology and AI-enabled transformation will also be a key asset to the company.
Egerton arrives after almost 16 years at Atkins and AtkinsRéalis, having initially joined as a legal director before later becoming GC for engineering services and then deputy GC. He previously worked in private practice at Dentons.
He said: “Balfour Beatty is a business I have long admired – not only for the scale and quality of the projects it delivers, but for the strength of its people, culture and ambition.”
Wood, meanwhile, is leaving Balfour Beatty to join energy company SSE. She joined the construction company back in September 2020 from Costain Group, where she was also GC. Prior to that she was a partner at legacy firm Hammonds (now part of Squire Patton Boggs).
Announcing her move on LinkedIn, she said: “I am delighted to share that I will be joining the executive team at SSE as group general counsel and company secretary on 14 September after nearly six years at Balfour Beatty. It could not be a more exciting time to join the business with a £33bn investment plan to 2030 that will help towards achieving a cleaner, more secure and affordable energy system.”
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