George Marjane, Gillian Pettigrew and Jordan Brownlee have been appointed as new discipline directors and will report directly to company director and board member, Alistair Gray. Alistair has been with MHB since January 2010 and will now be responsible for engineering delivery and operations. 

George Marjane, MHB’s geotechnical director, joined the business in 2018 as a principal engineer and has since built up the geotechnical team in Glasgow and York, contributing for approximately 25% of the business’ turnover. Temporary works and civils director, Gillian Pettigrew, joined MHB as a graduate in 2012 and has grown the temporary works and civils capabilities across Glasgow, York and London. 

New-starter Jordan Brownlee joined MHB this month as the business’ bridges director. He has 20 years of experience working throughout the rail sector specialising in the delivery of bridge and infrastructure projects. Jordan was previously technical director at RBA Consultants where he led teams across Glasgow, Manchester and London. 

The news of the senior appointments comes hot on the heels of the business announcing Fergus Aitchison as its new managing director with MHB’s founder, Hendrie Barbour, moving into the role of chairman as he continues to be involved in the civil engineering consultancy firm he formed in 2006.

Since moving to an employee ownership model in 2020, the business has increased revenue from £3.4 million at the end of 2020 to recording £5.47m for its latest 2024 accounts. MHB is now targeting £10m revenue by 2030 as the business continues to provide cost-effective and practical solutions for its clients which includes construction firms, transport agencies, local authorities, engineering consultants and private clients throughout the UK.  

On the latest changes at MHB, Alistair Gray said: “Having been part of MHB since 2010, I’m delighted to move into this role and support our new MD in this latest phase of growth. Restructuring our company to have an operational board will provide us with the framework we need to grow both our technical teams and regional offices in line with our ambitious business plan. Our Discipline Directors share the same passion we all have at MHB Consultants – to deliver practical solutions and save money for our clients.”

George Marjane, MHB’s new geotechnical director, added: “I’m thrilled to witness and be part of the company’s success that we have achieved so far. It is amazing to work alongside such a great team of engineers. The sky is the limit for MHB and I’m looking forward for us to push more boundaries and create further success in the coming years.”

Temporary works and civils director, Gillian Pettigrew, said: “It’s been a privilege to have been part of the growth of MHB since joining in 2012 and I’m looking forward to continue working with my colleagues to deliver the quality service we pride ourselves in delivering.”

On joining the business this month, new bridges director Jordan Brownlee added: “I’m delighted to be starting my new role at what is unquestionably an exciting time for the business. The ambition at MHB is clear and I look forward to utilising my two decades worth of experience in Rail and Bridges to contribute towards MHB’s impressive growth journey through CP7 and beyond.”