About

Simon, formerly the joint RSK Iraq Managing Director for ten years, has recently taken a broader regional role and has relocated to Abu Dhabi. He has taken on the position of Regional Managing Director to support the growing regional business demands. He has a background in remediation technologies, site investigation and waste management. Simon has a particular focus on Iraq, remediation and contaminated land projects regionally.

Fergus, the commercial director of RSK’s Middle East region based in Abu Dhabi and CEO of RSK Environmental Consulting Company based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, manages environmental and engineering programmes across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Iraq, with a growing focus on the development of RSK services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a Chartered Engineer, he holds environmental engineering professional memberships and has gained over 40 years in construction and environmental consultancy practice. He has extensive international experience of leading large and multidisciplinary teams involved in providing technical and professional services relating to environmental disciplines, including geotechnical, environmental and geophysical studies, environmental assessment, remediation, planning services and discharging planning consents. He has prepared numerous expert reports, has extensive experience in chambers and has given oral evidence in arbitration, mediation and negotiation proceedings.

Rachael is our general manager, company director and board member. She has been with RSK since 2005, relocating to Abu Dhabi in 2012. Rachael is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the office and business administration, with a particular focus on strategic marketing, corporate finances, health and safety system compliance, project contractual administration, staff management and tendering. She supports with new company formations across the region and leads the business’ sustainability, wellbeing and corporate responsibility programmes. Rachael has a passion for seeing young talent join the business and is spearheading an annual summer internship programme to provide a platform for young people to gain valuable career experience.

Jak is the Environment & Sustainability Director of RSK Environment LLC-SPC in the Middle East, responsible for leading a large team of consultants and engineers across the United Arab Emirates, Iraq (federal Iraq and Kurdistan region of Iraq) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Jak’s technical experience includes completing projects for a range of clients within the energy, industry, utility and infrastructure sectors. He has extensive knowledge of environmental and social legislation, standards and guidelines in the Middle East, the European Union and internationally, including the Equator Principles 4, International Finance Corporation Performance Standards 1–8 on Environmental and Social Sustainability, and World Bank Group Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines. He frequently spends time travelling across the region for site visits, meetings and presentations to clients, national regulators and lenders. Jak provides strong business development support to continue to grow the business’s service offering across the Middle East region.

Adam is the country director, based primarily in Iraq but with reach across the region. Adam is a geotechnical engineer and has over 19 years’ experience in engineering and consulting in the field of site investigation. This encompasses work in both geoenvironmental and geotechnical areas. Adam is responsible for managing very large and challenging projects in Iraq; he also uses his expert leadership skills to oversee the day-to-day business operations and staff management in Iraq.

Zaheer Abbas is the Deputy Iraq Country Director within the RSK Middle East business. He is a highly experienced geologist with extensive knowledge gained from working on various large-scale and prestigious investigations.

Zaheer has over 15 years of experience in the fields of engineering and remediation, and a broad range of expertise in offshore, near-shore and onshore projects. His work covers geoenvironmental, geotechnical, geomatics and land remediation areas. As part of his responsibilities, Zaheer manages challenging projects in Iraq and utilises his exceptional leadership skills to oversee the daily business operations and staff management in the country.

He possesses a thorough understanding of the requirements of the oil and gas industry and is committed to providing tailored and cost-effective solutions to clients.

Nicholas is the country manager for RSK Environmental Consulting Company in Saudi Arabia and brings more than 17 years of international experience in social impact assessment and sustainable development. He joined RSK in 2021 as part of the International Projects Group, leading social impact assessment and related projects across East Africa and the Middle East. With a background in delivering large-scale livelihood restoration, stakeholder engagement and social investment programmes, Nicholas has worked extensively across the energy, extractives, agribusiness and infrastructure sectors. Now based in Saudi Arabia, he is focused on leading RSK’s contribution to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, delivering services that promote long-term environmental and social sustainability in compliance with Saudi regulations and international standards. His global perspective and regional knowledge help to drive positive outcomes for clients across the kingdom.

Louis is a senior HSE professional with over 28 years of international experience working in leadership roles in the oil and gas and consultancy sectors. He holds a divisional role at the RSK Group and is based in the Dubai office, providing regional support.

Previous roles include Kurdistan business unit HSE manager for DNO in Iraq, senior vice president of HSE and security for Santos in Papua New Guinea, regional HSE manager for BP in West Africa and Rumaila Operating Organisation HSE manager for BP in Iraq.

Meera has over 18 years of strategic, practical experience in the full spectrum of HR functions across diverse organisations and geographic regions.

She provides HR solutions at strategic and operational levels following legislative and cultural requirements to support the business unit’s objectives. Meera is a certified coach and works with staff and managers on personal and professional development goals. She is the business’s social performance and wellbeing champion. Meera is currently supporting the rapid expansion of the Middle East team in keeping with RSK’s ambitions of strengthening its footprint in the region.

Neethu Jacob is an associate director and technical manager for RSK Middle East’s environment team. She has been with the business since 2019 and is responsible for maintaining high standards in its work, ensuring projects are delivered to the best technical quality in line with the jurisdiction’s requirements and clients’ expectations. Neethu is a chemical engineer with extensive experience in the oil and gas industry primarily, as well as other industrial and infrastructure sectors. She has been working closely with our energy clients in the upstream and midstream sectors in Iraq, and her international career spans the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Egypt, Iraq, India, Pakistan, Italy, Tunisia and Germany. Neethu is a seasoned chair for Environmental Impact Identification (ENVID)/Social and Environmental Impact Identification (SENVID) workshops and in facilitating discussions with relevant authorities, approval agencies and clients. She has a passion for nurturing and mentoring young professionals, helping them to build their technical understanding and grow in their own careers. In addition, Neethu delivers technical training to graduates in local engineering colleges to help them understand the basics of process safety and environmental scopes. She has a strong commitment to learning and keeps herself abreast with industry changes and dynamics.