These partnerships will be headed by new leaders who will come into post over the next three months, according to BMT Group CEO Peter French.

“We recognise that we have to continue to evolve as a business to ensure that we further strengthen our market presence,” he said. “The introduction of the partnerships will help us to better understand market needs, present a more complete offer for those needs and allow us to collaborate more effectively to answer them.

“It’s important to reassure customers that it is still very much business as usual - the changes that we are undertaking will simply enhance our ability to deliver to the high quality and efficiency that they have come to expect of BMT. Our customers will continue to be served by our existing operating companies, led by the current managing directors and presidents whom they know well.”

Denis Welch will take the lead for the Ports, Infrastructure & Resources Partnership based in Singapore.

He has been chairman of One World Maritime for the past six years, providing consultancy and senior management support to companies looking to develop their business in the Asia Pacific region,

Prior to this, he worked as the CEO of subsea and drilling company, Mermaid Offshore Services and was CEO Asia Pacific for Dutch based IHC Merwede.

Dr Paul Wilkinson has over 18 years’ experience in water and environmental consultancy across Australia, South East Asia and the United Kingdom, having served in a range of leadership roles with Halcrow, URS and most recently, CH2M. He will take the lead for the Environment Partnership which will be based in Brisbane.

Jeremy Berwick will take the lead for the Defence Partnership and be based in BMT’s Bath office. Previously a consulting partner and sector leader for Deloitte’s UK aerospace and defence business, Berwick’s career spans 30 years working with the MoD, Home Office, Rolls Royce, Cobham, BAE Systems and QinetiQ.

Jan van Smirren, who will lead the Energy Partnership, will join BMT in its Houston office, having worked for the past 25 years for Fugro Inc. and Fugro GEOS. Smirren most recently held the position of Metocean global business line manager and prior to this was managing director of Fugro GEOS in the Americas.

David Bright, currently BMT’s Sector director defence will lead the Surveys, Ship Design & Vessel Performance Partnership. He joined BMT in 2001 following a successful and varied career in the Royal Navy, including the lecturing of RN and USN officers in project management, engineering design and naval architecture.