Multinational engineering consultant COWI has appointed Eva MacInnes as regional director for Scotland. 

Following her promotion, MacInnes joins COWI’s UK tunnels leadership team with responsibility for the performance of the Scottish business.

COWI UK tunnels executive director Andy Sloan commented: “Eva was the stand-out candidate so I’m delighted that she has agreed to step into the role. She has displayed first-class technical and project management skills since joining us in 2013, receiving consistently great feedback from clients and contractors. I am therefore confident Eva will excel in this important role.”

MacInnes commented: “I am delighted to be given the role of regional director for Scotland and feel fortunate to have the support of experienced colleagues across the UK while taking on this new challenge. I'm looking forward to further developing my engineering experience, based in the Glasgow office, while continuing to work with a great team of people. This opportunity has come at an exciting time as we continue to progress COWI UK's ambitious 2020 growth strategy and I'm eager to get started.”

MacInnes succeeds Martyn Smith who has decided to step-down as regional director and remain with COWI as a technical director.

Sloan said: “I would like to thank Martyn for his work in growing our business in Scotland. He has vast hard rock tunnelling experience and I am pleased that he is staying on in a technical leadership and mentoring role.”

Since joining COWI, MacInnes has demonstrated technical and leadership skills on a variety of engineering challenges. She has coordinated the design of a 40m-deep vertical shaft for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, London’s new super sewer and led the remediation of a 40m-high slope that was threatening the safe operation of the West Coast Mainline. 

For the past four years, MacInnes has managed COWI’s partnership with railway contractor QTS and Network Rail, overseeing the development of geotechnical solutions for 60 sites across the Scottish rail network including those at risk of adverse weather, coastal protection, soil and rock remediation works.  

Commenyting on MacInnes’s appointment, COWI’s head of HR in the UK, Michelle Bridgwood, said: “Currently only 9% of engineers in the UK are female which means there is a huge pool of talent our industry is missing out on. If we are going to encourage more women into engineering, it's important for them to see role models they can relate to in leadership positions, so I am delighted that Eva's exceptional performance and potential has been recognised and she has joined the management team.”