U.S.-based construction giant Bechtel announced a new president for Europe and the Middle East, appointing former U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain Justin Siberell as president for the Europe and the Middle East region, the company said in a press release.
In his new role, Siberell will be responsible for overseeing the company’s relations in the region, supporting Bechtel’s four business units as they deliver projects and pursue new opportunities. He will be based in the company’s London office.
Justin Siberell.
Last week, Saudi Arabia’s futuristic mega-city NEOM awarded a contract to Bechtel for executive project management work on the development of the primary, base infrastructure for NEOM.
Bechtel has one of the longest track records of any Western-based company in Saudi Arabia, having worked on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry and construction in the Kingdom since the 1940s. The company began work on the trans-Arabian oil pipeline in 1947 across Saudi Arabia, and Bechtel has worked on many large projects in the Kingdom since then, including King Khalid International Airport, Jubail Industrial City, and the Riyadh metro project, among others.
Siberell joins Bechtel after a distinguished 27-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, most recently as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain. From 2012 to 2017, Siberell held key roles in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, including heading the bureau as Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism. He also served in the State Department’s Executive Secretariat, the Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs, and on the staff of the National Security Council at the White House. Siberell’s career included postings as a member of U.S. diplomatic missions in the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Panama.
“Justin’s knowledge and experience will serve our company and our customers well as we build partnerships and explore future opportunities in the region and across the globe,” said Stuart Jones, Bechtel manager of Regions and Corporate Relations.
Siberell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of California at Berkeley and is a graduate of the U.S. State Department’s Arabic Language Field School in Tunis, Tunisia.
