WSP has announced the appointment of Paul Grota as the new Managing Director for WSP in South Africa.
Paul joined WSP in November 2014, as part of the Parsons Brinkerhoff acquisition, where he was Head of Operations for Africa. After the acquisition, Paul led the integration of WSP and Parsons Brinckerhoff in Africa and has, until recently, been the COO for Power, Industry & Property business units.
“I’m very excited to be taking over from Mathieu du Plooy, who has moved to the UK to take up the role of Chief Operating Officer for the UK and South Africa after leading our African business for 12-years,” says Grota.
Grota is confident that WSP is moving into a new phase of growth in Africa. “We ended last year on a high, with some significant new projects and the news that both WSP Group Africa and Golder Associates Africa achieved Level 1 BBBEE status, solidifying our position as a preferential partner to local clients and partners,” he says. “This is an exciting time to be taking on this role, and I am confident that we can continue to develop creative, comprehensive, and sustainable engineering solutions for a future where society can thrive.”
“Paul’s understanding of our clients and passion for developing our people and culture will help WSP capitalise on the many opportunities that exist within the Africa market,” says Mathieu du Plooy. “I look forward working with him through the strong relationship between our UK and Africa businesses – and seeing WSP in Africa grow from strength to strength.”
As Paul Grota moves into his new role, Michelle Jackson joins WSP from Turner & Townsend as Managing Director for Property & Buildings from 1 February 2022. Most recently, Michelle has been leading Turner & Townsend’s Data Centre business, having also led a variety of projects and business units across sectors, including Property, Infrastructure, Oil & Gas and Mining. Michelle also supported the development and management of Turner & Townsend’s regional West African business, as well as successfully managing projects in Mozambique, Nigeria and Ghana.
With this new leadership in place, WSP remains focused on playing its part in Africa’s sustainable development. “There is no denying the massive infrastructure needs in Africa,” Grota says. “To keep up with the demands of rapid population growth and urbanisation, and to support existing industries while helping to establish new ones, infrastructure remains a key contributor to economic activity and social development needs.”
“We see ourselves as having an important role to play in delivering much-needed infrastructure projects. Our purpose of preparing our communities and environment for the future is underpinned by how we see ourselves as a link between, and providing support for, the effective delivery of these aspirations, policies and projects,” states Grota.
WSP also remain committed to helping its clients take up opportunities to leapfrog into more sustainable technology – such as renewable energy – and keep ESG matters top of mind as these are adopted. “We have always worked with our clients to remain future focused even as we design in the now, and bring our expertise in environmental and sustainability matters to bear when we advise our clients on how to ensure that their projects are future ready and sustainable,” continues Grota.
In support of these aspirations and projects, WSP remains a proud STEM employer and advocate for advancing the upcoming generations of talented engineers, scientist and environment, sustainability and governance (ESG) experts.
“We are actively looking for talent to recruit in most parts of the business – and in search of people who want to make an impact on where and how we live, work and play. People who consider themselves change makers and have a shared passion about working on projects that will influence the design and constructs of our spaces well into the future – and join our journey of building a living legacy, by design, concludes Grota.
WSP in Africa is hiring! To find out more about available opportunities, check out the Careers page on our website or look out for updates on our LinkedIn page, @WSPinAfrica.