Wates appoints new environmental sustainability director to drive net zero target
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Bekir joins the family-owned construction, property services and residential development business from Balfour Beatty, where he was Associate Director for Group Sustainability, responsible for developing its sustainability strategy internationally, as well as leading its Beyond net zero Ambition.
This is a new role within Wates’ growing environment team. Reporting to John Dunne, Group Safety, Health, Environment, Quality and Sustainability Director, Bekir will lead on Wates’ efforts to decarbonise its operations as part of its commitment to eliminating waste and carbon from its own operations by 2025. He will also focus on establishing Wates as the low carbon solution provider of choice within the built environment.
Bekir brings with him a wealth of practical knowledge and experience in the construction and infrastructure sector. While at Balfour Beatty, he was instrumental in setting the ESG KPIs with Lloyds Bank for the recent £375 million revolving credit facility – the largest sustainable linked loan in the UK construction industry to date. He also led on various innovation projects, such as the UK’s first successful engine retrofit to be approved by the Energy Saving Trust, working in partnership with Eminox, HS2, and the Centre for Low Emission Construction.
He is an active member of both the Climate Change Steering Group and Fellows Group for the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), as well as sitting on the Sustainability Stakeholder Panel for Saint-Gobain. For the last two years, he has been engaged in charitable work as a Trustee of Shaping Better Futures and set-up the Breathe Easy project for primary schools with Groundwork UK.
John Dunne
Group Safety, Health, Environment, Quality and Sustainability Director at Wates Group
Bekir Andrews
Environmental Sustainability Director, Wates Group