Image: AtkinsRéalis
AtkinsRéalis names new defence lead as Canadian spending ramps up
Why it matters: AtkinsRéalis has appointed a 32-year Air Force veteran to run its Canadian defence business, betting that his military and CAE pedigree can help the engineering giant capture a bigger share of Ottawa's growing defence infrastructure spending.
The details: AtkinsRéalis announced Wednesday that John Edelman will serve as vice-president, defence, Canada, based in Ottawa. He will lead the company's defence activities nationally as it works on what it calls resilient, critical national defence infrastructure.
Edelman spent 32 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force as an aerospace engineer, including a 2010-11 deployment to Afghanistan with Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing. He worked on uncrewed systems for the RCAF and held two leadership roles supporting the Joint Strike Fighter Program in Washington, D.C.
After leaving the military, Edelman spent 11 years at CAE, the Montreal-based aerospace and defence company, in progressively senior business development roles in Canada and Germany. He led the capture of CAE's first major defence program in France and worked on strategic pursuits across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Most recently, he was vice-president of business development for CAE's Defence & Security business in Canada, where he managed growth strategy and major captures supporting the Canadian Armed Forces and allied customers. He previously sat on the board of the Aerial Evolution Association of Canada.
What they're saying: Simon O'Byrne, AtkinsRéalis' vice-president and market lead for infrastructure in Western Canada and Ontario, said Edelman's relationships across government, industry and the military position him to lead the defence market in Canada as the company chases opportunities in military infrastructure, national security, aerospace and naval capabilities.
The bigger picture: AtkinsRéalis says its global defence business is picking up as spending rises across multiple countries. The company points to three recent Canadian and international moves as evidence of that momentum:
It was appointed to Babcock's Global Engineering Services framework as it looks at opportunities in the Canadian market.
It has supported the Global Combat Air Programme in the United Kingdom, the next-generation fighter effort Canada has said it intends to join as an observer.
It has been a top-five supplier to Defence Construction Canada over the past five years, with a presence on most military bases in the country.
The company also previously provided operations and maintenance services for the Royal Canadian Navy's minor warships and auxiliary vessel fleet.
Background: AtkinsRéalis, formerly SNC-Lavalin, traces its roots to 1911 and describes itself as a world-class engineering services and nuclear company. It offers consulting, design and engineering, procurement, project and construction management, operations and maintenance, and decommissioning services, and is the steward of CANDU nuclear technology.
What's next: The appointment lands as Ottawa continues to lean on its Defence Industrial Strategy to steer procurement dollars toward domestic infrastructure and industrial capacity, a shift companies with entrenched positions on Canadian military bases, like AtkinsRéalis, are positioning to benefit from.
