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Will Willson Joins Urban Engineers as Practice Leader for Risk Management

Urban is pleased to announce that Will Willson has been hired as a vice president and practice leader for risk management in the firm’s project management oversight department. He joins the firm with more than 44 years of experience in the construction industry and a proven track record of success on projects like the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco and the East Side Access project in New York City.

“We are thrilled to have Will come on board as a practice leader for risk management,” said William Thomsen, PE, an Urban senior vice president for national services. “He is a passionate construction professional with a strong leadership background in risk management and value engineering. His vast experience on international mega-projects will enhance the level of service we are able to provide for project management clients.”

“I am excited to be joining a firm with a strong reputation and rich history like Urban,” said Mr. Willson. “Urban’s expertise in project management oversight with the Federal Transit Administration and immense catalogue of work on large transit projects across the country make them a great fit for someone like me, and I look forward to providing outstanding service to the firm’s clients.

Mr. Willson moved to the United States from the United Kingdom in 2001. He is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors [FRICS], as well as a Value Management Associate (VMA) SAVE, The Society of American Value Engineers. He has held several senior positions where he has applied his, life cycle costing, contract administration, and project and construction management experience and knowledge to provide best value through the identification, management and mitigation of risk. These positions over the last 20 years have included director of risk at Davis Langdon USA, director of risk at Gardiner & Theobald, head of risk management in geotechnical and tunnels at Parsons Brinkerhoff, senior vice president/director of risk management at Faithful and Gould and lead program risk manager for the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Prior to moving to the U.S., Mr. Willson built and led the global risk management team at Faithful and Gould after spending six years as a program manager and then risk manager for the U.K.’s flagship P3 project, the Channel Tunnel High-Speed Rail Link (HS1) for Union Railways and Bechtel. He has worked in virtually every industry sector and has experience in Europe, Canada, the U.S., the Middle East, and Asia.