Keith Clarke CBE, FREng, FICE, RIBA, has been named as Non-Executive Chairman of Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay Plc (TLSB), the company preparing to begin construction of the world’s first tidal lagoon power plant in spring 2015.
With more than forty years’ experience, Keith has worked in all sectors of the UK and international construction industry, including Government. As Executive Vice President of Skanska AB he was responsible for both Middle East and specialist contracting services in the UK, Hong Kong, China, Poland, Czech Republic, India and South Africa, as well as Group-wide Code of Conduct, Sustainability and Competition policies.
Prior to this he was Chief Executive of Trafalgar House Construction and then Kvaerner Construction, leading both organisations to growth, and has held executive positions at Olympia & York and New York City Public Development Corporation, as well as working as an adviser to the Qatari Government.
As Chief Executive of the UK’s largest engineering consultants WS Atkins for the 8 years to 2011, Keith led the business to considerable growth, increasing revenue by forty percent and supporting its investment in the Middle East and its involvement in the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. He is also credited with shaping Atkins to respond to opportunities created by the low carbon economy.
His other current roles include: Non-Executive Director, Future Cities Catapult; Chair, Forum for the Future; Non-Executive Director, EngineeringUK; Adviser, InfrastructureUK; Non-Executive Director Sirius Minerals; Member of Advisory Board, Environmental Change Institute, Oxford; Vice President (Learned Society), Institution of Civil Engineers; Visiting Professor, Imperial College and Aston University.
Keith Clarke, Non-Executive Chairman of Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay Plc:
“This is an extremely exciting project whose time has come. It will set the standard for a new kind of energy infrastructure and has truly global implications. It is the right project at the right time for me and I am relishing the prospect of getting back into major project delivery and building a best-in-class team.”
Mark Shorrock, Chief Executive of Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay Plc:
“We want the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon to establish a blueprint for a series of tidal lagoons that allow the UK to harness its incredible range resource. Keith understands the challenges of building large infrastructure and the climate imperative to do so in a low carbon manner. And he has grown exceptional teams to achieve exceptional results. He’ll be a huge asset for us.”