We are built on the strength of our people. In every region where we operate, our local leaders guide the mission, drive the vision and uphold our collective beliefs.
Regional Leadership Team
Dean McGrail is currently President of WSP in the Middle East & Asia (MEA), leading one of the largest professional services firms in the region. He was appointed as President of the Middle East in 2021 and brings over 25 years of experience in professional services and consulting in the construction industry. Dean remains actively engaged with key clients as well as a range of external stakeholders while leading exceptional people in a multicultural and inclusive environment. His focus is ensuring WSP lives up to its vision of being the undisputed leader in the industry, working to consistently leverage the full breadth of our services, to deliver impactful results for clients and communities.
He joined WSP in Hong Kong in 2002 to start the Asian Fire & Life Safety team; he then moved to WSP in Shanghai as General Manager before heading to Dubai in 2005. In June 2019, he became the Managing Director – Property & Buildings in the Middle East. Dean holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) degree from Leeds University and is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE).
Mark is the Managing Director leading the WSP Middle East Property & Buildings business, bringing over 25 years of engineering and construction consultancy experience.
Our 1,200+ strong Property and Buildings team are delivering some of the most complex, technically challenging projects for our clients, in the region. Having led design and supervision projects across a number of diverse sectors including hospitality, commercial, residential, and healthcare; Mark is passionate about our teams delivering the very best, technically led projects, enabled by Technology, Innovation and tried and tested Ways of Working.
Mark leads with a Client-centric mindset, ensuring we are leveraging the breadth of our global expertise to bring our Clients in the region, the best that WSP has to offer.
Ian McGauley is the Managing Director of Project Management Services at WSP in the Middle East. A former architect with more than two decades of leadership experience in the global engineering, construction and infrastructure sectors, Ian has successfully steered high-value projects and is known for his strong focus on fostering client relationships.
Since joining WSP in 2019, Ian has scaled the regional project management business from 125 to more than 600 employees, achieving double-digit year-on-year growth and strengthening WSP’s leadership in the region. He plays a pivotal role in the successful delivery of ongoing flagship projects, including the Riyadh Metro.
Ian holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Architecture from Leeds Metropolitan University and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Kathleen joined WSP in 2021 as the Managing Director for Advisory Services in the Middle East. Before joining the Corporation, she established, developed and oversaw advisory businesses in both the Big 4 consultancies and international design and engineering firms in the Middle East and the United Kingdom.
In January 2025, Kathleen was also appointed as Global Lead for Advisory Services. This dual role, both globally and in the Middle East, will contribute to growing the company’s advisory businesses across the regions where it operates, driving diversification and helping WSP achieve its ambitions in the next 2025-2027 strategic cycle.
Alongside the other advisory regional leads, she will orchestrate the launch of a new operating model for global advisory. This model will strengthen regional collaboration, drive synergies, and create a more robust platform for the Global Advisory teams.
Kathleen is a transformation specialist with more than 25 years of experience in program and change management across the built environment. She has provided these services to clients in both the public and private sectors on a diverse range of complex infrastructure programs, regionally and internationally. Kathleen holds an MBA from Imperial College London and a Master of Civil Engineering with Management from the University of Birmingham.
Anthony is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Middle East & Asia (MEA) Region.
Anthony has been a dedicated member of WSP for over 25 years since his graduation, spending 11 years in the UK business before transferring to the Middle East in 2010. As a qualified accountant, he has held a number of strategic roles including Middle East Finance Director and UK Commercial Manager. Anthony was later transitioned into Operations and appointed as COO of the Middle East in 2020, making significant contribution to the region’s strategic leadership, operational performance and people leadership.
He also looks after the Louis Berger International business in India and is part of their Executive Leadership Team.
He has played a key role in implementing financial transformation strategies, fostering sustainable growth, supporting projects across sectors and markets, and driving operational excellence.
Rajdeep joined WSP in 2007 and held various leading financial and commercial roles with the business, before being appointed as CFO for the Middle East in January 2017. Prior to joining WSP, Rajdeep worked as a Mechanical Engineer with Godrej Group in India. He holds a Bachelor of Technology (Hons) degree from YMCA Institute of Engineering, Faridabad, India; Master of Business Administration from SP Jain School of Global Management, Singapore – Dubai; and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), awarded by the CFA Institute in United States.
Alan Caldwell is the Managing Director of Transport & Infrastructure at WSP Middle East, leading a team of over 800 professionals who successfully deliver critical transportation and infrastructure projects across the region.
With nearly three decades of experience in the sector, Alan has played a key role in shaping some of the Middle East’s most significant infrastructure developments. Since joining WSP in 2005, he has contributed to landmark projects such as the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, and the Doha Metro in Qatar. He also led major roads and infrastructure programmes while serving as the Southern Region Area Delivery Manager for Qatar’s Local Roads and Drainage Programme (LRDP).
Alan holds a Beng (Hons) Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Paisley, a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Brunel University London, and a Master of Arts in Health, Safety, and Environmental Law from the University of Salford.
Nick Cowie is Head of Legal for WSP in the Middle East. Nick is responsible for the day-to-day management of all legal aspects of the business including negotiations, claims and dispute management, insurance and corporate affairs.
Richard is the Human Resources Director for the Middle East. Since joining our business in February 2022, Richard has made a strong impact towards enhancing our strategic HR, talent and onboarding initiatives in line with our 2022-2024 focus on empowering People & Culture.
Richard’s HR career spans almost 20 years, starting in Dubai both in the Construction and Oil & Gas industries. Richard then went on to work with Siemens for a few years in the United States, followed by 3 years in Italy in a regional Vice President HR role prior to coming full-circle back to the Middle East.