John Wood Group, the Aberdeen-based engineering and consulting giant, has announced changes to its executive committee with the appointment of two new executive leaders.

Marla Storm and Michael Rasmuson will join Wood as chief human resources officer (CHRO) and group general counsel respectively.

Both Storm and Rasmuson will be based in Texas in the United States and report to Wood CEO Ken Gilmartin.

The appointments follow the retirement of Wood’s current human resources leader Lesley Birse and its current group general counsel and company secretary Martin McIntyre, who will remain as company secretary until a successor for this role is appointed.

Storm joins Wood from Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, where she was CHRO for its buildings, civils and investments business in the US. Prior to this she held HR leadership positions in Boeing and McKesson.

Rasmuson joins Wood from Nabors Industries, a global provider of advanced technology for the energy industry where he was SVP, general counsel and chief compliance officer.

Having started his career as a private practice lawyer, Rasmuson was formerly a long-term leader at Baker Hughes, one of the world’s largest energy services companies, latterly serving as executive counsel for its product lines.

The changes will be effective on January 2, 2024.

Gilmartin said: “I want to sincerely thank Lesley and Martin for their valuable contribution as long term leaders at Wood and wish them the very best.

“I am pleased to welcome Marla and Michael to Wood’s leadership team. They are both accomplished business leaders with highly relevant experience in their key disciplines. 

“I am confident a balanced executive team across the U.K. and the U.S. enables us to best support our clients and employees as we continue to progress on our strategy to deliver sustainable growth.”

These appointments follow the announcement of Wood’s new CFO, Arvind Balan who will join Wood in April 2024.

Wood operates in 60 countries, employing around 35,000 people.