Leadership & Management of Megaprojects

Dr. Ibrahim Odeh is the Founding Director of the Global Leaders in Construction Management (GLCM) program at the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University. He is a unique combination of a strategist, academic, innovator, and entrepreneur. His work seamlessly merges the worlds of industry and academia, spans the global construction market, and provides leading construction firms with unique market insights; growth strategies; and advice on digital transformation and technological trends that are reshaping the construction and engineering industry. 

Companies that Odeh collaborated or worked with from an advisory perspective, consulting role, or research collaboration effort are: World Economic Forum, ExxonMobil, Turner Construction, Skanska, Parsons Corporation, The Vertex Companies, Dentons, AECOM, AI Engineers, WGI Engineering, Plaza Construction and many others. Odeh worked as an advisory committee member at the World Economic Forum on the “Future of Construction” project. 

In 2017, he served for two years as an advisory board member at Financial Times - Future of Construction Summit on a similar initiative. He sits at several advisory boards and committees such as Multi.Green, Tough Leaf, Black Buffalo, AI Engineers, WGI Engineering, EnTech Engineering, Group PMX, Trunk Tools, and GrydSense. In 2021 Odeh was also appointed as an advisory board member at the GI Hub; in support of the G20 agenda, to connect the global infrastructure community and to share insights to facilitate delivery of G20 members’ economic, social and environmental outcomes through increased and improved infrastructure.

Odeh was also the first instructor to introduce in Fall 2016 the first Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) to educate global learners in the area of Construction Management under the Coursera platform. Number of learners registered for Odeh’s courses to-date reached over half a million from 190 countries with more than a million global followers! His courses ranked third globally under the business category on Coursera for several years. 

Odeh also delivered several keynote presentations in different countries globally in the area of digital transformation and the future of the construction industry such as the 1st Smart Construction Tech & Safety Expo in Korea, and similar talks in other world class events in several countries such as Dublin-Ireland, Mumbai-India, Cartagena-Colombia, and London-UK. Odeh won several prestigious awards and recognitions such as the 2023 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award, an award recognizes educators for innovative and inventive methods who are breaking new ground in their approach to education in global scale, and the Columbia University prestigious Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching; top honor presented to only five recipients from nearly 1,000 nominations. He was also named Top 20 Under 40 by Engineering News Records and Top 40 Under 40 by Consulting-Specifying Engineer. 

Odeh received his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as he holds an MBA degree.

Tim McManus is a global expert on the development and delivery of major capital projects and programs and is an advisor to companies and governments involved with the planning, development, and delivery of major infrastructure, transportation, urban development, resiliency, and sports facilities capital projects and programs.  He is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Engineering, the Industry Advisor for the Global Leaders in Construction Management Program at Columbia, and a Lecturer at the Graduate School of Engineering at Northeastern University.

Tim is a member of Turner & Townsend's Americas Infrastructure Board, a UK-based project management company. Previously, he served as a Vice President in McKinsey’s Capital Projects and Infrastructure Practice, focusing on the development, financing, contracting, and delivery of mega projects and capital programs in infrastructure and other market sectors.

He currently serves on the Parsons Corporation's Critical Infrastructure Strategic Advisory Board, reporting to their President and Chief Executive Officer.  Tim was also a Senior Vice President and Director of AECOM’s Global Program Management Group for several years. He was part of the New England Patriots’ management team, leading the development and delivery of the team’s Gillette Stadium.  

In October 2023, Tim was inducted into the National Academy of Construction, recently appointed by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority as an independent expert on their Major Construction Review Unit, and selected by Engineering News Record (ENR) to judge the 2023 Global Projects of the Year competition. 

Dr. Gerrard P. Bushell has been the Chair of CAG Holdings since 2019, a dedicated investment company for airport infrastructure under The Carlyle Group. He served as President and CEO of The New Terminal One (NTO) at New York's JFK Airport, where he successfully led the project through lease and financial close, as well as design and construction phases, despite the challenges of a global pandemic. Under his leadership, NTO issued $2 billion in green bonds in December 2023 and achieved critical construction milestones, including the topping off of steel in March 2024. Dr. Bushell's vision for NTO emphasized delivering a top-tier international terminal and driving community, workforce, and minority & women-owned business enterprise goals. Additionally, Dr. Bushell is an adjunct Professor in the Department of Political Sciences at Columbia University.

Bill Hanway is an Executive Vice President at AECOM, where he leads global sports and social infrastructure initiatives. Trained as an architect, Bill specializes in large-scale regeneration projects and major sports event master planning. He currently heads the AECOM team for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games Plan and previously led the team that delivered the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games and the London 2012 Games. Bill also advised the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on the Tokyo 2020 Games Plan and is leading the design team for the Intuit Dome, the new home of the LA Clippers. The Intuit Dome is planned for completion in 2024 and aims to be a net zero carbon project from its inception. Bill holds a Master of Architecture degree from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.

Joe Marie is a Senior Vice President at Parsons Corporation, bringing over 38 years of experience in the planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance of transportation systems worldwide. Joe currently serves as the Project Executive for the Hudson River Tunnel Delivery Partner team. His career includes leading the design, construction, testing, and start-up of transit systems in cities such as Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Waterloo, and Cologne. He has published numerous articles on transit technology and systems integration and has lectured at prestigious institutions, including Yale University, MIT, and the University of Toronto.

Bob Prieto is the Chairman & CEO of Strategic Program Management LLC, focusing on improving capital efficiency in large construction programs. Previously, Bob was a senior vice president at Fluor and the Chairman of Parsons Brinckerhoff. He has served on the boards of several engineering firms and authored nine books and over 900 papers on program management. Bob's industry involvement includes the ASCE Industry Leaders Council and the National Academy of Construction, and he has served on advisory boards for several universities.

Christopher J. Toomey is a seasoned senior leader with a diverse background in program, project, and construction management. His expertise includes emergency and disaster response and reconstruction operations in challenging environments. Chris has served nearly 26 years in the US Army Corps of Engineers, retiring as a Colonel. He has advised on capital planning and infrastructure resiliency for various sectors, including energy, transportation, and housing. Chris is known for his disciplined, mission-oriented leadership style and has lectured at institutions such as Yale University and MIT.

John Williams is Bechtel’s President for Infrastructure in the Northeast US & Canada. He oversees the operational performance and growth of the business in the transportation and digital sectors. John previously served as Bechtel’s General Manager for Infrastructure in the UK & Ireland, where he successfully expanded the company into new markets. He also led the integration and upgrade of the Crossrail project in London. Before joining Bechtel, John held senior positions within the UK Government and the private sector, providing policy advice and leading strategic initiatives.

Matt Palmer brings nearly 30 years of experience in design, project and program management, and business change. He has held leadership roles in client, consulting, and delivery organizations. He has a proven track record as a senior executive across major organizations and investment programs both in the UK and internationally.

Currently serving as the Executive Director for the Lower Thames Crossing, Matt is adept at turning strategy into delivery and building strong customer and stakeholder relationships in challenging environments. Known for his inspirational leadership, he has a history of building and motivating high-performance teams.

Previously, as Heathrow's Development Director from March 2016 to July 2020, Matt led the creation of a £14 billion scheme to deliver a third runway at Heathrow. This role involved balancing affordability, community, and environmental issues in an urban location, while managing conflicting interests from local and national governments, businesses, and airlines. Notable achievements include establishing the program organization and supply chain within three months, creating a collaborative, integrated design team, and delivering the UK's largest and most complex DCO planning application, including the most extensive public planning consultation and environmental impact assessment in the UK.

Katharina Ferguson is a senior leader with extensive experience in government and private sectors, including nuclear, transport, energy, and commercial property. As the Supply Chain Development Director for the Lower Thames Crossing Programme, she leads efforts to set new standards in infrastructure delivery, focusing on sustainability and carbon reduction.

Previously, Katharina led the procurement for the Lower Thames Crossing, integrating carbon reduction and social value, resulting in contracts that reduced embedded carbon in construction by over 50%.

Before National Highways, she held senior roles in various infrastructure programs, managing key public and private stakeholder interfaces. Katharina's leadership drives innovative and sustainable practices in the UK's construction and transport sectors.

Ed King brings over 36 years of extensive experience in the energy industry, encompassing critical roles in business, global project development and execution, as well as strategy development and implementation. His expertise spans refining, petrochemicals, fuels/lubes, low-carbon technologies, and the broader energy sector.

Throughout his career, Ed has demonstrated exceptional leadership in managing major global projects, driving corporate strategic portfolio divestment and acquisition, and optimizing business line economics. His experience includes strategic planning for asset feed and product trading support, senior leadership in manufacturing and operations, and process design at both the business unit and corporate levels.

Ed is a recognized leader in successfully driving innovation with goal-oriented plans that yield measurable results. His efforts have significantly enhanced the industry's competitive advantage and organizational capabilities. Ed's commitment to excellence and strategic vision continue to influence and shape the future of the energy sector.

Murray Rowden joined Turner & Townsend in 1990 as part of the Graduate program and holds a senior role as Global Head of Infrastructure. He is responsible for setting the strategic direction to drive growth globally in the transport, utilities, and defense sectors.

Anooj Oodit is Turner & Townsend's (T&T) Managing Director for the Americas. In this capacity, he is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of the USA, Canada, and Latin America businesses, which span the real estate, infrastructure, and natural resources sectors. 

Anooj is a Board member on Turner & Townsend's Global Executive Committee, Global Management Board, Global Operations Board, Americas Board and chairs the USA and Canada Boards. He also sits on Turner & Townsend's Making the Difference Fund Committee and is a Board member of British American Business. 

Before becoming Managing Director of the Americas in May 2023, Anooj was based in Sydney, Australia, where he had been the Managing Director of Turner & Townsend's ANZ region since 2015 and the wider APAC region since 2020. Anooj is passionate about creating a cohesive construction industry. He mainly focuses on enhancing performance through collaboration and driving efficiency, resulting in the most cost-effective, mutually beneficial client outcomes.

Priya Jain is a client-centric, versatile executive with deep experience and proven transformation skills in growing businesses and orchestrating organizational change at the world’s leading engineering and construction brands. Dynamic management career with strong leadership, problem-solving, change management, and execution expertise demonstrated in local, regional, and global roles in strategy, business development, operations, and delivery. Proven ability to recruit, lead, develop, mentor, motivate, and retain diverse global teams serving clients across Private Sector, National Governments, and State & Local Governments.

Gene Martin (President, TDI US Holdings, LLC; CHPE, LLC). Gene’s career includes multi-billion-dollar P/L accomplishments in executive and operational management for six Fortune 500 ® NYSE listed companies, including Blackstone (NYSE: BX), EMCOR (NYSE: EME), KeySpan Energy (NYSE/KSE), UtiliCorp United (NYSE/ILA), SCANA (NYSE/SCG) and AECOM (NYSE/ACM). Recruited from AECOM by Blackstone in 2014 to his current role, he successfully developed two ±400 kV HVDC projects valued at more than $11 Billion, representing 550 miles of long-haul merchant transmission, including the $6.5 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express Project now in construction.

He has developed and operated energy portfolios across North America, the EU, Australia, and New Zealand, covering a broad range of transmission, conventional, and renewable technologies deployed under a turnkey life cycle service model as owner on behalf of utilities and equity investors and as developer, design-builder, and operator on behalf of construction and engineering corporations. He delivered the keynote address to the Australian Parliament on Building Retail Competitive Choice in National Industries. He has been recognized by the Edison Electric Institute, The US Environmental Protection Agency, and the American Gas Association with national awards for business vision, revenue enhancement, operational excellence, and marketing achievement. Gene serves on the State University of New York’s Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center and Heath Consultants BODs and holds engineering and business degrees from USC.

Lindsay Degueldre is an accomplished engineering executive with over 18 years of experience managing large-scale infrastructure projects across various sectors. She currently serves as the Chief of Project Delivery at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, overseeing the successful delivery of critical infrastructure projects. Before this role, she was the Engineering Program Executive, driving significant projects to completion with a focus on innovation and efficiency.

Lindsay's extensive experience also includes nearly a decade at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP), where she held key leadership roles, including Executive Program Manager and Accountable Manager. While at NYC DEP, she led complex environmental programs, ensuring compliance and sustainability across the board.

Kris Kolluri is the Chief Executive Officer at New Jersey Transit. Kris has extensive project development, financing, and implementation expertise, honed through roles in the United States Congress, state government, and the private sector. He is also a board member of the Southern New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the Rowan University Board of Trustees.

Before Kris' current role at New Jersey Transit, he was the first CEO of the Gateway Development Commission, which New York and New Jersey formed to deliver the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP). The $16 B HTP is the most urgent infrastructure project in the United States. The HTP consists of building two new heavy rail tunnels between New Jersey and New York and rehabilitating the current North River Tunnels. The HTP is a part of the Gateway Program, which focuses on a 10-mile segment of the North East Corridor and includes a program of projects that would replace and update rail infrastructure assets.

Megan Strickland is a Principal Managing Director at Telos Advisers and a nationally recognized expert in federal grant compliance and risk management for major infrastructure projects. With two decades of experience, she has advised clients on navigating complex legal and regulatory landscapes, particularly within the transportation sector.

Previously, Megan played a pivotal role at the Gateway Development Commission, where she led the negotiation of a four-party agreement between New York, New Jersey, Amtrak, and the Commission to govern the $16.1 billion Hudson Tunnel Project—widely regarded as the most urgent infrastructure project in the country. Under her leadership, the Commission secured a record-setting $6.8 billion Federal Transit Administration grant to advance the project.

Eric Daleo is a Principal Managing Director at Telos Advisers and a seasoned executive with deep expertise in advancing complex, high-value infrastructure projects. Over the course of his career, he has been responsible for developing more than $20 billion in new infrastructure investments across the transportation, energy, environment, and building sectors.

Eric was the inaugural Chief Program Officer at the Gateway Development Commission, where he established the project and construction management systems for delivering the Hudson Tunnel Project—the largest infrastructure project in North America. He led the team that developed a bi-state governance framework and secured the largest Full Funding Grant Agreement in U.S. history in under 24 months.