WSP has appointed Paul Reilly as the new managing director for its planning & advisory (P&A) business.

Reilly joins WSP from Stantec where he has been managing director of the firm’s UK & Ireland infrastructure & buildings business since January 2020. He was also chair of the Association for Consultancy & Engineering in 2020.

At Stantec, Reilly led a team of more than 1,800 people across the development, environment, infrastructure, energy, water and transport sectors. Prior to that, he was a managing partner for Peter Brett Associates from 2010.

He will now be leading WSP’s 2,400-person P&A business which supports clients through a broad array of specialisms, including earth & environment, planning, project & commercial services and transport planning.

Reilly succeeds Ian Liddell who has been P&A managing director since January 2017 and now moves into a newly-created role of managing director for strategic advisory. As part of WSP UK’s recently-launched 2022-2024 Strategic Growth Plan, the business is reshaping itself to ensure it is optimally placed for success and growth.

Looking forward to his new role, Reilly said: “WSP’s leadership in the earth and environmental, transport and planning sectors across the UK is well-known and I’m delighted to be joining at such an exciting time. These sectors are intrinsically linked to both the government’s growth agenda and the asks of communities across the country: how can we ensure our activity protects and enhances the natural environment, and how can the planning system support the creation of vibrant places and boost economic prosperity. I’m excited to support our clients and the communities we serve in providing solutions to these important questions.”

Mark Naysmith, WSP chief executive officer – UK & EMEA, said: “I’d like to welcome Paul to WSP at what is an exciting time for us. His experience of leading high performing teams throughout his career will be of huge benefit to WSP and the ambitions we have set out in our 2022 – 2024 Strategic Plan. As we look to the future, I’m confident Paul’s leadership will be a valuable asset in us achieving our goal of earth and environment becoming our third strategic pillar alongside property & buildings and transport & infrastructure, and I warmly welcome him to WSP.”