Balfour Beatty has made numerous changes in leadership in the last 12 months. Now, it’s picked an executive to focus specifically on the firm’s growth.
The London-based contractor has tapped Emma Loxton as its new chief strategy officer, according to a Tuesday announcement. Loxton’s appointment will be effective starting in October.
As part of her responsibilities, Loxton will help form the company’s long-term strategy, with emphasis on core markets such as energy, transport and defence in the United Kingdom and U.S. buildings. She will also help the company bolster its presence in the U.K., U.S. and Asia, per the announcement.
Balfour Beatty’s focus on its U.S. buildings segment comes as the contractor’s U.S. arm overall generated a profit in the first half of 2026, after it had reported a loss in the first half of 2025. Balfour Beatty Chief Executive Philip Hoare told investors during the firm’s half-year earnings call in August that the company would continue to leverage its strong relationships with prior customers to grow its work.
“The Group is well positioned for its next phase of profitable growth, with strong positions in attractive markets and a clear ambition for the future,” Loxton said in the announcement.
Loxton adds to the list of C-suite executive changes that Balfour Beatty has made in the past calendar year. Hoare became the group’s chief executive in September 2025 and Myles Westcott became CFO in May following the company’s annual general meeting. In addition, Ed Egerton will take the reins as chief legal officer this month.
Prior to joining Balfour Beatty, Loxton worked as a partner at consulting firm McKinsey, where she led the U.K. Advanced Industries and Transport & Infrastructure practices, per the announcement.
Before her work at McKinsey, Loxton served as a senior policy advisor in the U.K. Government’s Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, per the news release. She served in the government from 2005 to 2010, according to her LinkedIn.
