Binnies has strengthened its Flood, Coast and Maritime team with the appointment of Debra Thomson as Delivery Director for the Welsh Government.
Debra joins Binnies following a 27-year career with the Environment Agency, bringing extensive experience in programme leadership, project delivery and framework management across complex environmental and infrastructure programmes.
In her new role, Debra will lead delivery on the Natural Resources Wales Framework, acting as Framework Manager and Project Director for projects delivered on behalf of Natural Resources Wales. She will also lead the Chester flood, coast and maritime team, supporting the continued growth of Binnies’ services across Wales and the surrounding regions.
Throughout her career, Debra has led multidisciplinary teams and managed significant portfolios of capital investment projects, with responsibility for governance, commercial performance, resource planning, risk management and stakeholder engagement. Her experience spans the full project life cycle, from appraisal and optioneering through to delivery, providing clients with strategic insight and practical delivery expertise.
Most recently, Debra has focused on driving continuous improvement across project delivery, helping to enhance efficiency, consistency and performance at a national scale. Her expertise in delivery assurance and programme improvement aligns closely with Binnies’ commitment to delivering high-quality outcomes for clients and communities.
Alongside her operational and technical leadership, Debra is a passionate advocate for developing future talent. She has supported graduates and early-career professionals throughout her career and has mentored many engineers through to chartership. Commenting on her appointment, Debra said,
As investment in environmental resilience, flood risk management and sustainable infrastructure continues to grow, Debra’s appointment further strengthens Binnies’ ability to help clients deliver positive outcomes for people, communities and the environment.