Close to some of our live sites working on behalf of Severn Trent, we identified an opportunity to support social care charity, Bethphage. Set on 12 acres of farmland, their Blossom Barns facility supports adults with learning disabilities and autism, providing a dedicated space for residents to participate in skills-based activities. They currently offer 92 placements per week to 32 adults, with plans to expand. This opportunity allowed us to support a cause meaningful to some of our site-based colleagues, as well aligning to our approach of offering our time, skills and expertise to make a difference to the communities local to our operational areas. Following discussions and a site visit to Blossom Barns, we collaborated with our supply chain to resurface the muddy access road and create a safe, durable route to better facilitate more residents and visitors. Simson Aggregate Solutions Ltd  donated the aggregate, FRAZER provided Terram, L. Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage provided plant, and Welfare Hire  provide the welfare unit. Our site team cleared and prepared the road, installed new security fencing and welfare facilities, laid geotextiles and finished with stone placement and compaction – all completed in just one week! L-R: Residents and workers at Blossom Barns are given a guided tour of the site whilst works were underway; the completed road; the MMB team who made it all happen Ceri Burgess, Service Manager at Blossom Barns, commented: “The Mott MacDonald Bentley team took the time to explain the construction process to all of us at Blossom Barns, which was a fascinating experience, especially for the people we support who loved watching the stone being laid and rolled. The finished driveway is a huge improvement and puts us in a great position for the future developments happening on site.” Our engagement with Blossom Barns continues; bird box donations are enhancing biodiversity on sites; their handmade produce is sold in our Shifnal office; and our STEM team have invited Blossom Barns for a site visit and guided tour to learn more about our plant and machinery up close. For more information about Blossom Barns, visit their website: www.bethphage.co.uk

JN Bentley has once again been awarded Van Excellence Operator status following a recent audit from Logistics UK. Managing a fleet of 415 vehicles – from Ford Couriers and Transits to 4x4 Rangers – requires consistently high standards, and this accreditation reflects the strength of those operations. The Van Excellence scheme sets out clear expectations for safe, efficient and responsible van management, defining the benchmark for best practice across the industry.  Developed by Logistics UK in collaboration with leading van operators, the scheme is designed to lift standards, improve confidence in van operations and support organisations in running their fleets professionally.   To earn accreditation, organisations undergo a thorough review by logistics UK auditors, who assess their processes against the Van Excellence Code. This code outlines the essential requirements for safe fleet operation, covering driving licencing, competence and behaviour, as well as vehicle standards, equipment and maintenance.  Nicola Wilson, plant manager at JN Bentley said: “The scheme has been instrumental in keeping our team focused on effective fleet management, while also reinforcing to our drivers the importance of operating safely and efficiently. Having achieved the accreditation before, we’re proud to have met the standard again.”  Through our participation in the scheme, JN Bentley continues to show its commitment to safe, efficient and sustainable fleet operations.

At Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB), we’re committed to investing in our Early Career Professionals (ECPs).  Whether you join us as an apprentice, placement student or graduate, you become part of our wider early careers network, designed to support your development from day one. The Early Career Professionals committee About the network Our ECP Network spans the whole business and, as part of the global Mott MacDonald Group, connects individuals across regions to share ideas and support development to create an inclusive and diverse community for those who are in the early stages of their career. It provides a platform for colleagues to share ideas, knowledge and skills to support their career goals, provide development opportunities and influence the future direction of the business. 2025 highlights Every year, MMB’s ECP community hosts a range of activities for ECPs, including networking events, knowledge share workshops, and opportunities to get involved in sustainability initiatives and STEM outreach, plus an annual ECP day and awards. Early Career Professionals engaging in a workshop ECP Day In October, MMB welcomed over 100 early career professionals to its annual event in Birmingham. The event was an opportunity for colleagues to interact with their peers from across the business, take part in interactive workshops, and engage with directors and senior managers. During the day, delegates took part in a range of workshops – from artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability to procurement-led design, finance 101 and safety - working collaboratively with colleagues and subject matter experts to deepen their knowledge and share ideas for best practice. This year, managing director Paul Bentley, design director Jamie Colwell, commercial manager Jasdeep Dhari, and procurement manager Jake Parker participated in a senior leader Q&A panel, where ECPs had the opportunity to ask questions about the business and seek career advice. “The event offers a fantastic opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the country and broaden our knowledge through engaging and diverse workshops.” Sandeep, project manager. Senior leader Q&A panel Celebrating excellence: ECP awards The ECP network brought back their awards for the second-year running, recognising individuals’ outstanding contributions to the network. Congratulations to this year’s award winners’ Best Mentor – Alison Jackson STEM Ambassador – Laura Harvey Sustainability Champion – Elizabeth Walker Site Safety Advocate – Adam Brooks Network Builder – Mia Fitton Digital Innovator – Olly Ward 2026 career opportunities Join the team and our early careers community. Applications for our 2026 intake of apprenticeships are now open! Apprenticeships have long been integral to MMB’s history and our culture of promoting from within. They provide a gateway into the construction and civil engineering industry. From day one, you’ll earn while you learn, with dedicated mentors supporting your development throughout the course. You'll gain valuable experience and insight into the real world of work, helping you build a successful career in the industry. Ready to start your career? Apply now 👉 Join the team at JN Bentley - Careers with JN Bentley

Meet one of our brilliant people: Steve Small, a principal electrical engineer based in the Midlands. Steve speaks about his work on our Severn Trent framework, and how he supports our other client frameworks and global delivery service (GDS) colleagues based in India. Tell us about your role and where you are based. I've worked at Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) for over 13 years now. Currently, I am based in the Midlands, working on MMB's Severn Trent framework, while supporting other frameworks and GDS colleagues as a principal electrical engineer. In my role, I provide guidance, support and share my expertise to teams of electrical engineers on a number of clean water and wastewater schemes. How do you deliver excellence in your role? The nature of my role means I cover multiple projects at once. However, I deliver excellence through my work as the practice lead for the Electrical Engineering and Controls (EICA) practice. One standout example of how I deliver excellence in this role is the work I was involved in to reduce interference with borehole drives. The team trialled, analysed and documented a process to alleviate interference during borehole installation, resulting in a more efficient process and the creation of a series of standard guidelines. Describe life at Mott MacDonald Bentley in three words. Collaborative, inclusive and teamwork. What opportunities have you had to grow your specialism or develop your career here? The opportunities I've had through the EICA practice is one way I've been able to grow my specialism at MMB. The practice has given me a platform to both learn from experts across all MMB frameworks and develop my skills as a mentor. What hidden talent do you have? For those that know me this is no secret, but my 'hidden' talent is cricket. I currently play for the England Seniors team, making my debut vs Scotland in June and have one eye on representing England in the Cricket World Cup, taking place in Canada in 2026. Do you have a mantra you live by or that motivates you? If so, what is it? "Those that can, do; those that can’t, talk about it". Someone said that to me once, and it stuck. I now use it with my kids, because in life, plenty of people will tell you what to do - but the best way is to lead by example. Looking for an opportunity to lead, innovate and make an impact on critical projects in the water sector and beyond? Join Steve and our team of experienced engineers - search and apply: Explore our careers | Mott MacDonald

Mott MacDonald has appointed Paul Bentley to its executive board, effective 1 January 2026. Paul has worked as a director in Mott MacDonald’s contracting business, JN Bentley, since 1999 and he will continue in this role. JN Bentley became part of the Mott MacDonald business in 2014 and delivers much of its work as fully integrated design and build company Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB). Under Paul’s leadership, MMB has become one of the most successful design and build contractors in the UK and the number one D&B partner in the UK water industry with clients including Yorkshire Water, Anglian Water and Northumbrian Water. With more than 30 years’ industry experience, Paul began his career as a graduate and progressed through roles including site engineer, contracts manager and estimator. This practical background has shaped his visible leadership style and strong focus on delivery. James Harris, chair and chief executive of Mott MacDonald, said: "Under Paul’s leadership, JN Bentley and its design and build companies have established reputations for operational excellence, continuous improvement and an unwavering commitment to health and safety. He is recognised for creating high-performing teams and forging long-term client relationships, particularly in the UK water sector. I look forward to working closely with him on the executive board as we continue to grow and deliver for our clients." Commenting on his appointment, Paul added: "I’m proud of what we continue to achieve at JN Bentley and the standards we set in safety and delivery. Joining Mott MacDonald’s executive board gives me the opportunity to contribute more widely to the Group’s success, ensuring we continue to deliver for clients, create opportunities for our people and maintain the standards that set us apart." First published on mottmac.com on 8 January 2026.

UK design and construction company Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) has been named ‘Digital Contractor of the Year’ at the TechFest awards, recognising the company as a digital leader in the construction sector. Hosted by Construction News and New Civil Engineer, the TechFest awards spotlight the most ground-breaking projects, teams, and businesses driving digital transformation in the built environment. Mott MacDonald - MMB’s parent company – took home ‘Digital Consultant of the Year’ and ‘Best Use of Technology: Carbon Reduction in Design’, highlighting the strength of digital technology across the whole Mott MacDonald Group. With JN Bentley’s national contracting expertise combined with Mott MacDonald’s international engineering capabilities, MMB delivers digital solutions that drive real impact throughout the entire project lifecycle. MMB team accepting the award on stage at TechFest 2025 Digital delivery at MMB Spanning design to construction, MMB’s digital approach benefits from strong partnerships and advanced tools to add value at every stage. Information-rich BIM models support construction teams, while visualisations and construction rehearsals help optimise programmes, improve safety, and standardise delivery across similar assets. An established innovation framework ensures new ideas are tested, deployed, and scaled consistently, focusing effort where it matters most. Additionally, a culture of digital leadership is embedded across the business, with dedicated leaders empowering and supporting teams to develop digital skills, drive innovation and understand the digital delivery planning process. MMB has also invested heavily in intelligent plant, enhanced by the latest application of AI-powered software. The company-owned fleet - including 25 intelligent excavators - has delivered a 30% productivity boost compared to traditional plant, alongside fuel and carbon savings, improved safety, and greater dig accuracy. See how intelligent machines accelerated construction by 58% whilst cutting carbon at the Dearne Reach constructed wetlands project: Nature-based solution optimised by responsible AI | Mott MacDonald Find out more about our progress in the digital construction space in our 2024 annual review .

UK design and construction company Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) has been named as a preferred bidder for a major new enterprise with Scottish Water. The agreement is for the period 2027-2033, with the potential for a six-year extension thereafter and is the highest value venture ever put in place by Scottish Water. The ground-breaking enterprise will see MMB bring its unique approach to design and construction of civils and MEICA infrastructure to Scotland for the very first time on this scale. Director, Jonny Burton, commented: "We’re thrilled to have been named as a preferred bidder on this exciting new enterprise with Scottish Water. "MMB will bring its 25+ years’ experience to the enterprise as we support Scottish Water to transform the country’s public assets to keep taps flowing and the environment protected. "We recognise the potential the framework has to improve the country’s water and wastewater infrastructure and look forward to collaborating with the client, fellow preferred bidders and the local supply chain to deliver brilliant outcomes for Scotland." Director of capital investment at Scottish Water, Rob Mustard, added: "The Enterprise is the most significant programme of investment and way of working we [Scottish Water] have ever implemented. "It supports our goals of financial sustainability, service excellence, and going beyond net zero, all while contributing to a flourishing Scotland." The procurement process is expected to be fully completed by March 2026.. *** Looking for a new challenge with a growing construction and civil engineering company that now works with 10 of the UK's largest water companies? Check out all current vacancies in engineering, design and support roles on the MMB website .

Leading UK engineering and construction company JN Bentley has been awarded a place on Lot 3 of Cumberland Council's Combined Building and Civil Engineering Capital Works Framework. Running from 2025 to 2029, alongside 15 fellow contractors, the framework will give JN Bentley the opportunity to deliver a diverse programme of projects including flood prevention works, bridge and highway upgrades, and drainage schemes. Individual projects will range in value from £2.5m to £6m and could represent around £8m of work for JN Bentley. JN Bentley director, Jonny Burton, said: "This framework represents a fantastic opportunity for JN Bentley to expand into more complex schemes beyond the UK water sector, while strengthening our presence in the North West of England. "It gives us chance to build on the work we have delivered previously for Cumbria Council, and our current work on our capital works framework with Westmorland and Furness Council." "We look forward to working closely with Cumberland Council and our partners to deliver infrastructure that supports communities and drives regeneration." JN Bentley already has an active presence in the region and continues to actively grow resources to support other key framework partners including United Utilities, Environment Agency and Westmorland and Furness Council. Interesting in joining our growing team? Find out more about a construction career with us.

A new advance market commitment (AMC) has been announced, designed to speed up the development and commercialisation of the next generation of UK concrete innovations and their adoption. Launched by Innovate UK and Carbon Limiting Technologies, the new AMC will unlock investment and help innovators transition from prototype to full scale production much faster. Regional technical leader at JN Bentley, Chris Bolton, signs the advance market commitment Together with UK construction and engineering company JN Bentley, the first signatories of the AMC include: Mott MacDonald Scottish Water Heathrow AtkinsRealis UK Derwent London Ramboll Buro Happold BAM Included in the Government’s Autumn Budget, the programme – funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) – looks to secure commitments for up to 500,000 cubic metres of new, low-carbon concrete. This approach will enable earlier carbon savings and faster cost reductions, positioning the UK as a world leader in next-gen construction materials and techniques. Dr Stafford Lloyd, innovation lead, clean growth strategy at Innovate UK, said: "This advance market commitment exemplifies Innovate UK’s mission to drive economic growth by supporting businesses to develop new ideas. "It is a bold, collaborative effort to create a market for sustainable solutions before they are fully commercialised, sending a clear signal to innovators that their efforts will be met with demand and providing an essential component in unlocking investment in scale-up companies." Addressing delegates at the launch event, minister for industry, Chris McDonald commented: "We want to make the UK a world-leading producer of reliable, low-carbon cement and concrete. While demand is uncertain and risks are high, we need to do more to back innovation and scale up these new technologies. That’s where Advance Market Commitments are so useful." With concrete accounting for approximately 8% of all global emissions, these first signatories represent a key step towards decarbonisation within the UK. Chris Bolton, regional technical leader at JN Bentley added: "As a leading contractor serving the UK water industry and beyond, we recognise the important role JN Bentley has to play in decarbonising construction. The AMC gives us the tools to access verified, low-carbon materials; share risks and rewards with industry peers; and turn commitments into impact-starting with the target of this AMC for 500,000m³ of next generation low-carbon concrete." To learn more and get involved, visit the programme page on the Innovate UK website. Article adapted from Innovate UK statement . *** Looking for a new challenge with a forward-thinking construction and civil engineering company? Check out all current vacancies in engineering, design and support roles on the JN Bentley website .

Meet one of our brilliant people: Olivia Rowe, a project leader based in the North of England. Olivia speaks about her role at Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) as a project leader, her work on the UK's largest Integrated Constructed Wetland (ICW) for stormwater treatment, Dearne Reach, and how she delivered excellence on this scheme. Olivia also speaks about her proudest achievement and advice for those looking to shape their own story at MMB. What do you do at Mott MacDonald Bentley and what are you currently working on? Currently, I'm a project leader working on MMB's Yorkshire Water framework. Recently, I completed work on the UK's largest ICW for stormwater treatment, Dearne Reach. The project involved the design-and-build of a 4.4-hecatre ICW, designed to enhance water quality along a 4.1km stretch of the River Dearne, by reducing the ammonia levels and improving storm flow treatment. Tell us how you delivered excellence on this scheme At Dearne Reach, we collaborated with MMB's Digital Delivery team, to pilot the use of intelligent machinery alongside the 'Smart Construction Dashboard' during the design and construction phases of the wetland. Prior to site mobilisation, a model and delivery programme was shared for upload into the smart construction software, which used AI to generate an earth-shifting model; highlighting the most efficient workflow, size, type and number of machines required. What advice would you give to someone looking to shape their own story at Mott MacDonald Bentley? "Say yes to as many opportunities as possible!" We have the benefit of being in such a large company, so there are plenty of opportunities to be involved in different practices and to learn from peers in different disciplines. What has been your proudest achievement? Being a project leader on both of MMB's schemes at Witches Oak wetlands and Dearne Reach ICW. I'm proud to have been a champion of nature-based solutions within the company. This role has been pivotal in my career, allowing me to gain experience in both the design and implementation phases of nature-based solutions. What advice would you give to your younger self? To always follow your own path, say "yes" to opportunities that come your way and try not to stress about the small details. How do you manage your safety and wellbeing? I like to manage my wellbeing by regularly practising yoga, making space for meditation in my day, and taking time to get outdoors whenever I can. Finish this sentence: I feel included when... We work together as a team. _________________________________________________________________________________ Read more on our award-winning project at Dearne Reach _________________________________________________________________________________