Ground engineering specialist Keller has strengthened its presence in Scotland with the appointment of project manager Martin McAlinden to its Dunfermline office.

A native of Glasgow, Martin joins Keller after a spell working in New Zealand and brings a wealth of experience in ground improvement and soil mixing techniques.

After graduating from the University of Strathclyde with a degree in civil engineering, Martin started his career in consultancy with Atkins and then URS. He worked on a variety of large and small scale infrastructure projects mainly in Scotland including the M74 completion and Borders railway. He also had a spell in the Middle East.

He moved out to New Zealand in 2013 to work for GHD in consultancy but then moved into contracting with Fulton Hogan and Hiway Geotechnical. Martin worked on the Christchurch rebuild project after the 2010 earthquake, gaining valuable seismic design and construction experience.

His role will be to build on the already strong customer base Keller has in Scotland and the North East of England and bring the company closer to its customers.

Keller’s sister company Phi Group also operates out of the Dunfermline office and Martin’s move also offers the opportunity to combine to expertise of the two companies to provide a wider range of cost-effective solutions to clients.

“This is a great opportunity to develop the Keller brand even further in Scotland and the North East of England and I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” said Martin.