BIRMINGHAM, England — Global engineering and construction firm Burns & McDonnell has strengthened its U.K. Transmission & Distribution (T&D) practice with the appointment of Sean McHugh as Operations Manager, a key role that will help strengthen the delivery of major energy infrastructure projects across the UK.

Sean brings more than 24 years of experience in infrastructure delivery across the rail, energy and renewables sectors. His career began with Network Rail, where he spent over a decade in civil engineering roles, before moving to SSE Renewables, managing operational planning and maintenance for onshore wind farms across Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. He has since held a variety of senior project management and engineering positions and was most recently principal engineering project manager at Babcock International Group.

Sean will be based in Glasgow and will work closely with the Birmingham office. He will oversee operational delivery across the Burns & McDonnell UK T&D portfolio, supporting major clients including National Grid and SSE. His responsibilities span project and operational management, client engagement and the development of consistent delivery approaches across regions. To achieve this, Sean will work closely with project managers and site teams to see through strong operational performance across T&D.

Sean McHugh, Operations Manager, Transmission & Distribution at Burns & McDonnell, said:

“I’m delighted to be joining Burns & McDonnell at a time of significant growth for the UK energy sector. The scale of investment in transmission and distribution presents a real opportunity to deliver projects more consistently, efficiently and collaboratively.

“My focus will be on supporting our project teams, strengthening operational performance and creating greater continuity in how we deliver for clients across the UK. Having worked across multiple sectors and on both the client and contractor side, I’m excited to bring a fresh perspective while building on the strong foundations of Burns & McDonnell.”

Chris O’Donnelly, UK Construction Director at Burns & McDonnell, said:

“Sean brings a rare combination of engineering, project management and operational leadership experience. His ability to bridge technical delivery with commercial and client expectations will be invaluable as we continue to grow our UK T&D business and support the delivery of critical national infrastructure.”

Shawn Briggs, Managing Director, EPC Projects at Burns & McDonnell, said:

“Operational excellence is critical to delivering safe, high quality energy infrastructure at scale. Sean’s breadth of experience and hands on leadership style will strengthen our project delivery capability and help provide consistent outcomes for our clients as our UK portfolio continues to expand.”

About Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a global engineering, design and construction firm working from more than 75 offices worldwide. Since 2017, we have been growing our presence in the U.K., with offices in Birmingham, London and Glasgow. Drawing from more than 125 years of global experience delivering critical infrastructure, our U.K. team provides engineering, consultancy and project delivery services supporting the nation’s transition to a resilient, low‑carbon energy system. By placing client service at the centre of everything we do, we deliver innovative, integrated solutions to complex infrastructure challenges.