Voices of Science

Peter Head (1947-), civil engineer, joined consulting engineers Freeman, Fox and Partners in 1969, where he designed and supervised construction of several major bridges, including Avonmouth, Friarton and Myton. He joined the Maunsell group in 1980, overseeing a major restructuring of the firm as its chief executive in 2001. Here he pioneered the use of composite materials in bridges, eventuallyleading to the world's first composite bridge, at Aberfeldy. He also worked on the Second Severn Crossing, and other major engineering projects across the world. A growing interest in sustainability led him to Arup in 2004, where he contributed to the proposed Dongtan eco-city scheme in China, and helped to plan the 2012 London Olympic Games. Since retirement he has devoted his time to establishing the Ecological Sequestration Trust to build tools to facilitate environmentally sustainable development.