Mark Naysmith has overseen the planning of a series of high-profile projects including The Shard in London
A chartered engineer who has overseen the planning and design of a series of high-profile UK projects has received an honorary doctorate from Edinburgh Napier University.
Mark Naysmith began his career as a structural engineer with Kenchington Ford, which was acquired by engineering consultancy WSP in 1993. He later became managing director of the transportation and development arm before going on to become MD of the overall UK business.
In 2014, WSP bought transport and infrastructure consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff, and Naysmith became UK chief of the merged company. That year also saw him named European CEO of the Year by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering, an award he cites as a career highlight. Naysmith has also overseen subsequent successful mergers of Mouchel Consulting in 2016 and Opus International Consultants in 2017.
He is now a director of several UK subsidiary companies forming part of Canadian-listed
WSP Global, one of the world’s leading professional services firms in the built and natural environment.
The iconic projects he has been involved with include the Royal Bank of Scotland HQ at Gogarburn, the Athletes’ Village at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games,
London Crossrail, The Shard and London Bridge Quarter and
High Speed 2 rail (HS2).
Naysmith was sponsored by WSP through a Bachelor of Engineering course at Edinburgh Napier from which he graduated with a first class honours degree in civil and transportation engineering in 1994. A strong believer in developing the talents of the future, he has maintained strong links with the university throughout his career.
Today he joined hundreds of students at a ceremony in the Usher Hall to receive an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Engineering in recognition of the contribution that he has made, over many years, to the built and natural environment.
Naysmith said: “I am truly honoured to accept this Doctorate and I can’t thank Edinburgh Napier enough for the enjoyable years and fantastic academic experience that I gained during my studies. I have seen first-hand the incredible growth and development of this institution and I am proud to be associated with it.”
Also honoured by the university today was veteran journalist Allan Little, who received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts.
Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “It is both a pleasure and a privilege to see people who have made such an outstanding impact in their own fields participating in our celebrations and encouraging our students to be ambitious for themselves, their communities and beyond as they develop their careers.”