Kent-based recycling and waste management company Viridor is to have a new chief executive.

Pennon Group Plc, the firm’s owner, announced the appointment of Ian McAulay with effect from September 9. He takes over from Colin Drummond who is to become non-executive chairman on retirement.

Viridor has its regional headquarters in Kings Hill, West Malling, and provides recycling and waste disposal services to local councils in Kent, south London and Sussex, as well as numerous private clients. It operates one of Europe’s largest and most advanced materials recycling facilities in Crayford, as well as landfill sites in Canterbury and south London, generating electricity from landfill gas.

Mr McAulay is moving from his role as chief of global strategy and corporate development with MWH Global, based in the United States. His responsibilities include company strategic planning and execution; corporate development; mergers and acquisitions; and operational management of MWH’s ResourceNet business in Pune, India.

The chartered civil engineer was previously managing director Capital Programmes at United Utilities where he managed the regulated capital programme and the company’s non-regulated water portfolio.

Pennon Group chairman Ken Harvey said: “I am delighted to welcome Ian to Pennon Group. He brings with him extensive experience of developing and delivering large scale, capital intensive infrastructure projects in both regulated and unregulated businesses and management of major complex organisations, which I believe will prove invaluable to the company.”

Mr Drummond added: “Viridor has secured an enviable pipeline of public private partnerships and a £1.5bn investment programme building green infrastructure to maximise recycling and energy generation from waste. The knowledge and experience Ian brings to the business, together with the talent and skills we already have within the company, will confirm Viridor’s position as one of the UK’s leading recycling, renewable energy and waste management companies.”