PJA appoints Jim Kirby as chair

8 November 2018


Great Britain – Jim Kirby is the new chair of the Pipe Jacking Association (PJA). Appointed at the association’s AGM on 17 October, Kirby is the first consulting engineer in the 45-year history of the PJA to hold the position.

Kirby is employed as a technical director at Cowi and has 25 years of contracting and consultancy experience, specialising in tunnelling, pipe jacking, shafts and pipelines.

David Atkinson, contracts director for the trenchless business at contractor, AE Yates, was elected as vice-chairman and the outgoing chair Graeme Monteith took over the role of secretary from Andrew Marshall.

Commenting on his appointment Jim Kirby said, “The PJA has been active in a number of key areas to include education and research, technical innovation, industry standards. Recently we have lobbied the ICE and NIC around the issue of urban road congestion and assisted Network Rail with the compilation of a new UTX Standard. We plan to continue and grow these activities and to raise the awareness of pipe jacking as one of the primary methods for installing drainage and other utilities in urban areas with the minimum of disruption significantly reducing carbon outputs.”

The PJA also welcomed two major infrastructure operators, Network Rail and United Utilities, as new Associate members. The membership category of Associate was created recently in order that major client organisations could easily engage with industry to the benefit of all.

Jim Kirby is the new chair of the Pipe Jacking Association