Craig Thackray

Vice president Middle East and Africa, AECOM

Expertise

Design, Project Management, Environmental Management

Location

UAE

My highlights

Winning the ICE Bahrain Project of the Year in 2018 for the East Sitra Reclamation Project.

Winning the Best ENR Project in 2020 for Tema Port Ghana in the ports and aviation category

AECOM winning a third Green Consultant of the Year Award in the UAE, where I lead the environment business line

A day in my life

Wake up early, feed the cat, make coffee, watch the news to catch up with current affairs and then go for a walk or to the gym (exercise is very important) with my wife.

If I'm not travelling, diving or meeting clients, then I would head into the Abu Dhabi office.

I normally start responding to emails and then get into meetings to catch up with my various team leaders across the Middle East and Africa to see what support they need.

There may be strategy discussions or, if there have been any technical challenges or contractual issues escalated to my desk, then I will engage with the teams to resolve these.

I may undertake project reviews or evaluate bids prior to submission.

I also provide training for AECOM project managers or graduates.

Weekends we have fun, mostly on the beach, camping or boating.

Every engineering project is different, so if you enjoy being challenged then this is the right career path for you.

Which individual project or person inspired you to become a civil engineer?

Leonardo da Vinci was an inspiration with his effective (but simple) structural designs and also his 1495 design of a military diving suit.

I often imagine what he would come up with today if he had modern engineering technology at his disposal.

We asked Craig…

Complete this phrase: I’m a civil engineer, but I’m also …

a commercial diving supervisor, Chartered Environmentalist and Chartered Manager.

What about being a civil engineer gets you out of bed each morning?

The amazing projects I get to engage with in the Middle East.

I'm currently the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC, for its name in French) engineer on the Dubai Reefs programme.

I get to go diving as part of my job!

What’s one great thing that you love about civil engineering that you didn’t know until you started working in the industry?

The people that I get to interact with! They are amazing professionals at all levels and I get to learn from all of them!

Which civil engineering project (past or present) do you wish you’d worked on?

I think Tower Bridge in London is a fantastic structure in terms of aesthetics and function.

The design and construction methods used at the time (between 1886-1894) would also have been fascinating.

Name one civil engineering myth you’d like to bust.

“Engineers are boring, and so is civil engineering.”

In my experience, engineers are some of the most interesting and passionate professionals.

They tend to be well-rounded and we get to deliver some of the most interesting projects in the world, creating structures and legacies that will last centuries.

What motivated you, or is motivating you, to become professionally qualified? 

Professional recognition is a pre-requisite to advance to senior levels within any multinational organization.

I followed the progressive route from Incorporated Engineer to Chartered Engineer.

What does being professionally qualified with the ICE mean for your career?  

It shows I have achieved the required benchmarks to lead engineering projects to the highest professional standards in terms of ethics, safety and quality.

The fact that I am chartered and a Fellow sets me apart in terms of expectations from my employer and clients.

What’s the best thing about being professionally qualified with the ICE? 

I'm active with the ICE UAE Committee so get to meet many peers at events and learn about other projects and innovations.

It's a fantastic networking opportunity to stay abreast of what is happening in our industry and engage with others.

How did the ICE and your employer support you to become professionally qualified? 

I've been supported by all of my employers since joining the ICE in 2000.

I have returned that support, acting as a supervising civil engineer for my company and reviewer for the ICE.

I mentor and sponsor review candidates from my company.

What do you value most about being an ICE member? 

Taking advantage of the events that the ICE hosts.

I've made the most of this being part of the ICE South Maritime Committee in the UK, ICE Bahrain and now ICE UAE Committee.

Engaging with the organisation at all levels is very rewarding and I get to learn a great deal.

How has being a member helped your career? 

In most projects in the Middle East, being professionally registered is a contractual requirement for key senior positions on projects. So without it, I wouldn't have had all the opportunities to work on some of the most amazing engineering projects of our generation.

I also achieved membership with the Bahrain Society of Engineers in 2008 and with the Society of Engineers UAE in 2024.

What’s the biggest/most complex thing you’ve made out of Lego? How long did it take you?

It was an entire construction site with different vehicles and buildings and took an afternoon. Good thing they have building instructions, so, just follow the plan.

Craig's career path

I progressed from a navy diver to a commercial one in 1993 and started working on coastal construction projects. This included submarine pipelines, concrete works, pier refurbishments, slipways and jetty construction.

Then, at the age of 21, when qualifying as a diving supervisor, I had a choice to either be a North Sea saturation diver or study civil engineering.

I chose the latter and completed a three-year national diploma in civil engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa in 1997. I combined my passion for diving with engineering.

Later, in the UK, I was a site manager on several Environment Agency projects working for Team Van Oord.

I expanded my academic base to a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Studies and focused on nature-based engineering solutions, aiming to enhance the biodiversity of my project sites.

I then progressed into more of a management role and was promoted to country manager for Bahrain in 2011.

I continued to improve my qualifications and in 2024 completed my MSc in Engineering Management at the University of South Wales.