AECOM's Leadership Shuffle: Who Is CLO at the Global Giant?

Senior leadership changes at large infrastructure and construction firms rarely happen overnight. They tend to follow years of internal preparation, with an incoming leader given time inside the business before stepping into the top seat. 

AECOM, the global infrastructure firm, has just gone through this process at the top of its legal function, confirming a new Chief Legal Officer (CLO) while giving the departing executive a defined path into a senior advisory role. 

The changing of the guard

AECOM has confirmed that Manav Kumar will become CLO, succeeding David Gan, who is moving into the role of Senior Advisor ahead of a planned retirement in 2027. 

In his new position, Manav will lead legal and public affairs globally while continuing to serve as Corporate Secretary. 

David's departure from the CLO seat follows more than 20 years of service at AECOM, during which he helped build the company's legal, governance and risk framework.

 "Throughout his more than 20 years at AECOM, David has made important contributions to our company, helping strengthen our legal, governance and compliance capabilities while supporting many of our most significant business initiatives," said Troy Rudd, AECOM's Chairman and CEO. "Building on that strong foundation, I look forward to Manav bringing his broad leadership experience, business judgment and enterprise perspective to help advance our strategy and support our continued success."

The transition is designed to run in parallel for a period, with both executives working together before the handover is complete.

Manav's path to the top legal role

Manav's rise to CLO reflects several years of broadening responsibility inside AECOM rather than a single lateral appointment. 

He last served as the company's Corporate General Counsel and Global Head of Public Affairs.

Manav’s combination of legal, public affairs and government experience is increasingly common among senior in-house counsel at large infrastructure firms, where the CLO is expected to operate well beyond the traditional boundaries of a legal department.

Scale, timing and continuity

Manav’s appointment and David's move to Senior Advisor both take effect on 3 October 2026.

The two will work closely together to manage the handover before it is complete.

Troy has spoken elsewhere about the type of leadership AECOM wants to see across the business, in terms that apply just as well to governance and legal functions as to technical delivery. 

"Building the infrastructure of tomorrow requires more than technology, it requires people with the skills, vision, and leadership to apply it responsibly and at scale," he said. 

The firm has seen other major changes to its workforce recently with Jenny Beilby appointed Head of Building Surveying for UK & Ireland and Darren Cook appointed Highways & Streets Sector Director for its Europe and India region. 

AECOM's key partners:

Mott MacDonald

A global engineering and development consultancy that has worked with AECOM on major UK water-sector frameworks, combining technical and commercial expertise under alliance-based contracts that help clients manage long-term capital and operating expenditure programmes.

Turner & Townsend 

An international programme management and cost consultancy that partners with AECOM on UK infrastructure frameworks, contributing commercial and cost-management capability alongside AECOM's engineering expertise across multi-year utilities investment programmes.

Pick Everard 

A UK construction and property consultancy and a partner in AECOM's Perfect Circle joint venture, through which the two firms deliver combined professional services under public-sector procurement frameworks spanning utilities and broader infrastructure work.