Wates has appointed Bekir Andrews, former sustainability boss at Balfour Beatty, as its new environmental sustainability director
This is a new role within Wates’ growing environment team. Reporting to John Dunne, group safety, health, environment, quality and sustainability director, Bekir Andrews will lead on Wates’ efforts to decarbonise its operations.
He will also focus on establishing Wates as the low carbon solution provider of choice within the built environment.
While at Balfour Beatty, Andrews was instrumental in setting the ESG KPIs with Lloyds Bank for the recent £375m revolving credit facility.
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.
Bekir Andrews 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.
‘Deliver tangible outcomes’
John Dunne, group safety, health, environment, quality and sustainability director at Wates Group, said: “We set bold, ambitious, deliberately stretching targets for creating Zero Harm to the environment by 2025 because it is only by pushing ourselves that we will make a real and lasting difference.
“We’re committed to taking a leading role in reducing our industry’s environmental impact, and Bekir’s experience in driving sustainability strategies speaks for itself.”
Bekir Andrews, environmental sustainability director, Wates Group, commented: “I am excited to be joining such a forward-thinking company with a clear commitment to finding innovative ways to reduce waste and energy consumption, as well as enhancing the natural environment.
“As a sector, we face many challenges when it comes to reducing our environmental impact and I look forward to working collaboratively with Wates’ customers, designers, and supply chain partners on practical solutions that will deliver tangible outcomes against Wates’ 2025 targets.”
