Costain brings in navy veteran to head up new division

Costain has appointed a navy veteran to lead its newly combined defence and nuclear business.

Bob Anstey, who had a 36-year career in the Royal Navy, will head up the division. Anstey’s long career in the armed forces led to him being awarded an OBE in 2020.

Costain managing director for natural resources Sam White said the company’s nuclear work “contributes to protecting the UK from climate change”. He added: “Our work across defence supports the UK’s most strategic systems and the service personnel that use infrastructure to live, work and train for operations.

“To continue to deliver efficient and practical solutions to complex client challenges, Bob will initially focus on the interrelations between defence and nuclear to bring about the best solutions to make infrastructure fit for the future.”

Anstey said: “As a delivery partner to the defence and nuclear industry, Costain has used its heritage in complex project delivery to engineer solutions to some of the most complex problems in those industries.

“I look forward to collaborating with colleagues and supporting clients and partners who are truly protecting and powering people’s lives.”

Defence is one of Costain’s four main markets, alongside transportation, water and energy, the company said in August when it released its latest financial results.

In those accounts, for the half-year to 30 June 2022, Costain said all of its sectors “remain resilient” with a positive pipeline of new business on the horizon. The healthy state of its work saw Costain’s pre-tax profit jump from £9.1m to £11.2m, partly thanks to inflation-protection mechanisms written into its contracts.