AtkinsRéalis US Nuclear is promoting its chief operating officer Joe McBrearty to acting president, succeeding Jim Rugg, who will become a senior vice president concentrating on new builds, the company announced Thursday.
McBrearty has been chief operations officer since joining the U.S. branch of AtkinsRéalis in May. He will continue to lead AtkinsRéalis US Nuclear’s organization’s market growth and support clients in various facets of nuclear engineering and waste management operations and technologies, according to the release.
“Appointing Mr. McBrearty provides our business with experienced and trusted leadership while the organization conducts a thorough and competitive evaluation of potential candidates to provide the best leadership for the US business,” an AtkinsRéalis spokesperson said in response to an Exchange Monitor inquiry.
Rugg, an ex-Bechtel executive who became president of what was then Atkins Nuclear Secured Holding in February 2023, assumes the position of senior vice-president, new build. He will be responsible for the CANDU MONARK advanced reactor development program, and for global CANDU new builds including in Romania and support for AtkinsRéalis’ role in the GE Hitachi small modular reactor project in Canada, the company said.
McBrearty, a 40-year industry veteran, returned to the United States recently after four years as president and chief executive officer of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the company said. AtkinsRéalis leads the Canadian National Energy Alliance consortium that runs the lab for the Canadian government. In that role, he oversaw modernization of the Chalk River Laboratories nuclear research facility.
McBrearty is a U.S. Navy veteran who served on four submarines, including serving as commanding officer of the USS Dallas, the company said.
