Kier Group has announced the appointment of Justin Atkinson as a non-executive director.

Formerly chief executive of ground engineering specialist Keller Group, from which he retired in May, Justin will join Kier on 1 October 2015.

Previously, Justin had been Keller’s Group finance director and its chief operating officer. Justin trained and qualified as an accountant with Deloitte Haskins & Sells, now part of PwC, and spent the early part of his career with Thomson Reuters, before joining Keller in 1990. He is also a member of the Audit Committee of The National Trust.

Justin will be a member of the company’s risk management and audit committee, remuneration committee, safety, health and environment committee and nomination committee and is considered by the board of directors of the company to be independent.

Phil White, Kier’s chairman, said: “I am delighted that Justin will be joining us as a member of the board. In over a decade as Chief Executive of Keller, Justin managed the delivery of significant growth in the business. In addition, his in depth knowledge of the construction sector, both in the UK and internationally, will complement the skills and experience of our other non-executive directors. I very much look forward to working with Justin.”