AtkinsRéalis adds two independent directors to board

AtkinsRéalis, a Montreal-headquartered engineering consultancy, has appointed Nathalie Marcotte and Sam Shakir as independent directors on its board, effective September 3.

The additions will expand the firm’s board of directors to 11 members.

Nathalie Marcotte is based in Montreal and is president of global industrial process automation at Schneider Electric. She is an industrial technology leader with expertise across electrification, automation, smart industry, and intelligent buildings.

Between 1996 and 2014, Marcotte held several senior roles at Invensys, which was acquired by Schneider Electric in 2013.

She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Université du Québec.

Sam Shakir is based in Washington, DC and is CEO of SAM Companies, a geospatial and inspection services firm serving the utility and infrastructure markets. He is a business leader with expertise in nuclear, operating and decommissioning plants, and renewables.

Shakir was previously president of plant services and environmental services at Westinghouse Electric Corporation and president and CEO of Orano, a global supplier to the nuclear energy industry.

He has an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in building engineering from Concordia University.

"I'm pleased to announce the appointment of Nathalie and Sam to the Board. With their experience driving global businesses and respective competencies in operations, sales, digital strategy and the nuclear industry, they are well positioned to provide the effective oversight and direction required for AtkinsRéalis' ambitious purpose and strategic plan. I am confident that their presence will reinforce the ability to create meaningful value for our shareholders and other stakeholders," said William Young, chair of the board.

SNC-Lavalin rebranded to AtkinsRéalis in September in the wake of several high-profile scandals, including RCMP investigations into bribes paid to secure contracts in Libya and Quebec.

The scandals contributed to faltering financial performance and led the company to shift away from riskier, fixed-price construction work to a more stable engineering services-centred business model.