Southampton graduate to be ICE President

Geoff French graduated with a first class BSc (Eng) degree in 1968 and joined what was then Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners.  He rose through the ranks and eventually became Chairman of the Company from 2002 until its acquisition by URS in September 2010.  During his career he has worked on projects in locations as diverse as Botswana, Baghdad and Hong Kong as well as working in many other countries and throughout the UK.  He became Vice-President of ICE in 2008.

"When I was considering an engineering degree I chose civil engineering because of the broad canvas that it offered.  It is such a diverse field of engineering including transport, infrastructure, water and waste water," he explains.  "My University of Southampton degree certainly gave me a great basis for my future career."

He has over 40 years experience of providing transportation and development advice to central and local government, banks, major developers and international funding agencies.  Major projects have included the presentation of evidence at the Heathrow Terminal 5 inquiry, the Johannesburg LRT Study, the Greater Nottingham Strategic Study, the Warminster Bypass and the Saudi Arabia Public Transport Study.

Geoff became Chair of the Enterprise M3 LEP in the UK when it was created in early 2011.  The LEPs remit is to increase economic growth across its area which encompasses most of Hampshire and Surrey, a total population of 1.6 million people.

Geoff will take over the role of ICE President in November 2013 and is very much looking forward to continuing the planned development of the ICE during his year in office.  He is currently President of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).