Global professional services company GHD has appointed a new chair — and he is based in New Zealand.
Ian Fraser is currently chief executive for the Asia Pacific region for GHD, leading the company’s operations in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. He will chair the global board from Christchurch.
The company, which is fully owned by its employees, reported gross revenue for the 2024 financial year of $AU2.9 billion ($3.13b). About a quarter of its 12,000 staff are shareholders.
Fraser has more than 30 years' experience in environmental and engineering consulting. He has previously lived and worked in the United States, and his project experience extends across the Pacific, throughout Southeast Asia, the USA, South America, and Mexico.
He succeeds Rob Knott, who is retiring after chairing the company since 2017.
“It’s an immense honour to take over as chair of GHD, particularly as our first chair from New Zealand, and as we approach the company’s centenary in 2028,” he said. “I am focused on the continued evolution of our global business, driven by our commitment to our clients and our investment in developing the outstanding technical capabilities of our people.”
Fraser is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a graduate of the INSEAD Advanced Management Program. He has lectured at the universities of Auckland and Canterbury, and held leadership roles in industry associations such as the New Zealand Resource Management Law Association and the New Zealand Association of Consulting and Engineering.
He is a founding signatory to the Diversity Agenda in New Zealand and is also on the board of the GHD Foundation, which aims to provide more equitable access to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education and careers.
GHD operates in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. It delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients.
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