Turner & Townsend strengthens leadership team in Africa with key appointments in clean energy and programme advisory services
Turner & Townsend, the global professional services company, has made two senior leadership appointments in Africa with the arrival of Shamsher Singh as regional lead for clean energy and transmission and the promotion of Merita Wickens to programme advisory lead in the region.
As Africa makes significant strides towards clean energy, developing infrastructure, cities and places, there are significant opportunities for growth. These strategic appointments highlight Turner & Townsend’s commitment to expanding major project and programme capability and supporting the clean energy transition across the continent.
Shamsher brings nearly two decades of experience in the energy sector specialising in renewables, transmission and distribution. Having successfully led large-scale renewable projects such as wind farms, solar PV (photovoltaic) and battery storage solutions, Shamsher’s expertise in commercial leadership, business development and operational excellence will drive the growth of Turner & Townsend's clean energy business across Africa. Previously, he was head of Solar for Africa & APAC at Puma Energy (Trafigura) and Country Business Segment Manager, Transmission Services for Hub Africa at Siemens Energy.
Merita has 30 years of experience in programme and project management, with a strong track record in business continuity, Project Management Office (PMO) design and optimisation, programme health check and transformation management. She has been with Turner & Townsend since 2008, contributing significantly to renewables, transport and various public sector projects and leading major initiatives such as the operationalisation of South Africa’s Hydrogen Society Roadmap and the National Logistics Crisis Committee.
These appointments come as Turner & Townsend launches its programme advisory offering in Africa to provide client solutions for successful strategy, set up, delivery and transformation of major business and investment programmes across energy and natural resources, real estate and infrastructure. It will focus on supporting clients and supply chains to aid data-driven decision-making to improve the performance of major projects and programmes.
Stephen McCartney, Regional Managing Director for Africa, at Turner & Townsend, commented:
"In today’s fast changing world, built environment portfolios, programmes and projects are growing in size, complexity and expectation."
Shamsher and Merita’s appointments are crucial for the ongoing growth of our business in Africa while underlining our commitment to providing future-proofed solutions to our clients and project partners.
"Shamsher's proven track record in leading large-scale renewable projects and his deep understanding of the energy market make him an invaluable addition to our Africa team as we enhance our capabilities to support the delivery of sustainable energy across the continent."
“Merita's experience and leadership in complex programmes made her the standout candidate to lead our new programme advisory services across Africa. With the need for programmes to deliver greater value with fewer resources, her role will help clients find productivity improvements from setup through to completion."
