LNG

US energy and liquefaction technology firm Black & Veatch has selected Mario Azar as the new Chairman and Chief Executive for the company after the decision to retire after 44 years at the helm of Steve Edwards.

The successor to Edwards as CEO and Chairman is currently serving as president of the Energy & Process Industries division at the Overland Park, Kansas-based company.

One of Black and Veatch’s most recent LNG contract awards was for the Cedar FLNG project proposed by Pembina Pipeline Corp and the Haisla First Nation in British Columbia in Western Canada.

Black and Veatch was chosen with South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries for the front-end engineering and design of the project's proposed floating liquefaction, storage and offloading units.

the Cedar project expects to make a final investment decision in 2023 following completion of the environmental assessment process.

The FLNG facilities will be located in the Douglas Channel and have a liquefaction capacity of up to 4 million tonnes per annum of LNG.

On its leadership change, Black and Veatch said that Azar’s appointment was only the eighth senior leader in the founder, managing partner or chair role in the US Midwest company’s 107-year history.

Critical markets

“As global megatrends reshape the critical infrastructure markets we serve, the Black and Veatch Board of Directors is thrilled to select Mario based on his vast global experience, proven leadership capabilities, innovative and collaborative approach and strong focus on client relationships,” said outgoing CEO and Chairman Edwards.

“Since joining the company in 2018, Mario has been the architect of an effort that is repowering the power industry as well as in the strategic repositioning of our company to address the megatrends our clients and the world faces,” stated Edwards.

Black and Veatch said that Azar’s leadership experience spanned more than 32 years in the energy and industrial fields, much of it in engineering and construction solutions.

Prior to joining Black & Veatch in 2018 as the president of the global power business, Azar served in multiple executive roles and led large global businesses at Germany’s Siemens and previously Westinghouse of the USA.

“It is a true honor to be selected to lead Black and Veatch, a company with such deep history and a stellar reputation built by a world-class team of global professionals,” said Azar.

“The portfolio of solutions Black and Veatch offers, coupled with our transformed business model aligning positions us to continue fulfilling our mission,” he declared.

The company said it would name a successor to fill Azar’s current role in the near future.

Before embarking on his engineering career, Azar earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Pembina Pipeline Corp., joint developer of the Cedar LNG project in British Columbia and the rejected Jordan Cove in the northwest US state of Oregon, has contacted shareholders for a special virtual-only meeting to be held on July 29 on the proposed strategic combination with smaller peer Inter Pipeline Ltd.