Post by Iain Whitelaw

I’m sharing, with enormous sadness, that my husband Iain passed away on the morning of the 4th June, after a short battle with cancer. Iain will be remembered not only for what he delivered, but for the steady, good-natured way in which he went about it. He was highly regarded by his colleagues as a true gentleman, a great professional, and a sincere person, and these connections and characteristics were evident throughout his career to all who had the pleasure of working with him.  In a long and distinguished career, he gained significant experience and knowledge throughout 40-years spent with Jacobs across multiple geographies and industry sectors. Iain’s extensive career commenced when he graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987, moving to Reading to join Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners, acquired by Jacobs in 1999.  In these early years Iain had the opportunity to work on exciting projects such as the Samanalwewa Dam in Sri Lanka, Roseries Dam in Sudan, Katse Dam in Lesotho, and the Great man-made river project in Libya, which at the time was the largest construction project in the world and went on to shape and form the next 30 years of his professional career. Iain then moved back home to Glasgow to continue his career with Jacobs-Gibb, taking a leading role in establishing the Railway Engineering team, and working under Railtrack Scotland responding to Rail Regulatory challenges. In 2014 Iain moved to the Middle East where he worked for almost a decade on projects including the world’s largest rail scheme, the Doha Metro and Etihad Rail. In 2022 Iain was welcomed back into the Rail Engineering team.  He immediately stepped in the REAL Alliance, a programme responsible for upgrading the power supply to the East Coast Mainline, and one defined by considerable technical and contractual complexity.  When his time there concluded, he moved into the A75 delivery team, where he took on the role of Design Manager, before returning once more to Rail. Iain’s career then moved to Ireland, where he supported delivery of structures on the Foynes to Limerick scheme. This wider programme not only improved connectivity it also played its part in enabling Ireland to host the Ryder Cup, which may have attracted Iain as a keen golfer! Iain was always ready for the next challenge, adapting easily to new teams, disciplines, and locations. He never complained, remained positive, and consistently focused on doing the job well. Iain was knowledgeable and dependable, qualities that underpinned a long and successful career.  A page has been set up in Iain’s name should anyone wish to donate to AMMF, the UK's only cholangiocarcinoma charity Carole Whitelaw