Paul Doherty and Kenneth Gavin, principals of Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions Ltd (GDG), the specialist Geotechnical Engineering Consultants firm, have announced the appointment of John Bowen as chairman of the board of the company.
A chartered civil engineer with extensive experience in leading and managing businesses in Ireland and the UK, Bowen was, up to 2011, chairman and CEO of the Bowen Group, one of Ireland’s leading building and civil engineering contractors.
He oversaw the growth of that business from revenues of €30 million to €300 million and was a finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme in 2004.
His earlier career included working with a firm of consulting engineers, management consulting with one of the major international names, as well as two separate periods in building contracting and/or property development in the UK.
Civil engineering degree from UCC, fellow of Engineers Ireland and chartered member of Institution of Civil Engineers London
He holds a civil engineering degree from UCC and a master's in business administration from Warwick Business School. He is a fellow of Engineers Ireland and is also a chartered member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in London.
He is currently the principal of BowenConsult, and undertakes roles as mentor, adviser, advocate, consultant and non-executive chairman for a variety of companies and organisations. He is also an accredited mediator.
Announcing the appointment Paul Doherty, managing director of GDG, said: “As a highly ambitious company, GDG is delighted that a respected figure of such industry seniority as John Bowen had accepted the appointment as chairman.
The timing of John Bowen's appointment coincides with a time of extensive growth in the company, with GDG recently announcing the opening of offices in Edinburgh and Belfast, which complement the existing resources based in Dublin and London.”
Bowen said: “The commitment of GDG to the provision of innovative and practical solutions to challenging geotechnical engineering issues in a global marketplace makes this a very exciting company to be involved with. I look forward to working with Paul, Ken and their colleagues in the years ahead to realise the huge potential in this business.”