Key industry leader and engineering sector champion Mike Haigh has died at the age of 64.
Mike Haigh, the former executive chair of Mott MacDonald, has died aged 64. He passed away unexpectedly at his home on Sunday 30 March 2025.
In a career that spanned over 40 years with Mott MacDonald, Haigh had a huge impact on the business, the engineering industry and many people that he met and worked with along the way.
Haigh trained as a civil engineer, joining Mott MacDonald as a graduate in 1981. He then embarked on a career in which he actively sought out the biggest challenges, from leading major infrastructure projects to driving growth in new markets and running the group’s regional businesses.
During his three years as executive chair, he guided the company through many changes including its digital transformation, a greater emphasis on technical and professional excellence, the introduction of social outcomes, its purpose and the pandemic. He retired from Mott MacDonald in 2022.
Haigh also championed the engineering industry throughout his career, serving as chair of the World Economic Forum Infrastructure Industries Governors Group and also as a member of the FIDIC Global Leadership Forum Advisory Board. He was a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a past chair of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE).
James Harris, chair and chief executive of Mott MacDonald, said: “Mike was a great friend and mentor to many at Mott MacDonald, both during and after his time here. Through his leadership, he made our business better and strengthened our position for the future. He will be greatly missed and we are all deeply saddened by his passing.”
FIDIC president Catherine Karakatsanis said: “Mike’s death at such a relatively young age is a great shock and our sympathies are with his family and all those who worked with him and who knew him. Mike was a founding member of FIDIC’s Global Leadership Forum (GLF), a member of the GLF Advisory Board and a long-time supporter of FIDIC and the engineering and consultancy industry.
“An active climate and sustainability campaigner and a keen promoter of a more sustainable, integrated infrastructure industry, underpinned by a diverse, inclusive, and digitally enabled workforce, he was also a key driving force behind the GLF’s ongoing decarbonisation initiatives and he would have been discussing those at our annual GLF Summit which takes place in Madrid next week. Mike’s enthusiasm, professionalism and friendship will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him and who had the privilege of working with him and our industry is all the poorer for his passing.”
