Employee Spotlight: February 2022

Election to RIAI Council for Joe Kennedy

Joe Kennedy, Managing Director of Smith + Kennedy Architects, has been elected to the  Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) Council. Joe will serve on the council in 2022 and 2023, following election by members of the RIAI in November 2021.

The RIAI was founded in 1839 as the professional body for architecture in the Republic of Ireland. The RIAI Council works to deliver the vision, strategy and policy of the institution. As a representative member of the council, Joe will play an active role in developing this strategy and vision over the next two years. One of the main topics he will bring forward is a strategy to amend the Civil Liability Act to make it more equitable. Joe said, “Currently the ‘last man standing’ aspect of the legislation sees professionals bearing the brunt of legal actions when developers or contractors cease trading – meaning that any involvement whatsoever in a project normally gives grounds for 100% liability that can be attached if there is no one else left.”

Joe’s election to the council follows previous service as honorary secretary in 2015 and 2016. Joe is also currently the RIAI nominee on the Irish government-appointed working group examining housing defects during the boom years.

Senior leadership changes at RSK Middle East

The arrival of the new year has seen Jak Fazakerley move into a new role as associate director at RSK Middle East. Jak has been with RSK Middle East for four and a half years and will take on his new role while continuing to lead the environment team based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Jak has a technical background in environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA) and environmental and social due diligence (ESDD), with 10 years’ experience working in the oil, gas and renewable energy sectors. As well as leading the technical team with his extensive knowledge and experience in the oil and gas industries, Jak will provide business development support to continue to grow the business’s service offering across the Middle East region. Jak’s team has seen significant growth in the last year, more than doubling in size and taking on a number of large-scale projects and frameworks across Iraq, the Kurdistan region of Iraq and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Jak said, “I am very proud and honoured to accept the position and look forward to building on the momentum of 2021 to further expand our client base and grow the technical team here in the Middle East”.

Congratulations Jak on your new role!