Cundall names Carole O’Neil Global Managing Partner
She has over 15 years of experience with the firm, having first joined as Human Resources Director in 2007
Carole O’Neil has been announced as Global Managing Partner for multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy Cundall. O’Neil assumes the role on 1 July, 2022, taking over from Tomás Neeson, who served as Managing Partner for eight years and will now act as Chair of Cundall’s Partners.
O’Neil first joined the firm in 2007 and is said to have helped Cundall grow from 450 people to over 1,000 people in 21 offices. She has been a part of Cundall’s Management Board for over a decade and has played a pivotal role supporting the business’s leadership over the years, a statement from Cundall highlighted.
“I’m immensely proud to have been part of Cundall’s story over the past 15 years and am looking forward to continuing the good work of Tomás Neeson and the rest of Cundall, as we look to the future of our practice. Successive generations of Cundall Partners have built an amazing business, founded on the principle that we will act as custodians of that business for the next generation. Our ethos has always been strongly rooted in sustainability, and our drive toward zero carbon design on all our projects will continue as we commit to it as one of the cornerstones of our business,” said O’Neil.
The appointment is said to align with the launch of a new strategy for Cundall, which is keen to solidify its global commitment to sustainability. The firm notes it has pledged that all projects will be zero carbon in design by 2030. The strategy also sets goals for the practice for the next ten years, building on the vision set out by previous generations of partners. This includes a renewed focus on culture and ensuring that Cundall remains a people-focused practice – a natural fit for a new Managing Partner with a background in human resources, the statement pointed out.
As Managing Partner, she will be responsible for leading the Management Board, including delivering on Cundall’s new strategy and steering the practice through the next period of development.
She added, “I want everyone to be as excited about working in this business as I am. I have always aimed for excellence in everything that I do, be that work, sport or other activities, and I hope that my time as Managing Partner of Cundall will be a reflection of my commitment to making our practice one that the next generation will be proud of.”
Richard Stratton, Managing Partner at Cundall MENA remarked, “I have had the pleasure of working closely with Carole for many years now and I am absolutely delighted that Carole will be our new Managing Partner. Her passion, commitment and strength of character has certainly inspired me over the years, as I know it does for so many within our business, and I am very proud and excited to be working alongside Carole as we further develop and grow Cundall.”
Stratton concluded, “It is all about choosing the best person for the role and I am absolutely certain that we have done so, but at the same time we have demonstrated that there need be no barriers in any business if success is what you aspire to. I would like to add that our ability to continue to develop as a business is only possible through the foundations laid by Tomas Neeson and David Dryden before him, so sincere thanks to them for all of their efforts in developing Cundall into what is an amazing and progressive business.”
In February 2022, Cundall’s Tony Owens pointed out that, post pandemic, the world must tackle climate change and make the commitment to change. In March 2022, the firm appointed Mario Saab as Head of Sustainability Business for the MENA region. The firm was awarded ‘Sustainable Consultancy of the Year’ at the 2021 edition of the annual Middle East Consultant Awards.
