Balfour Beatty appoints Emma Loxton as chief strategy officer

Balfour Beatty has announced the appointment of Emma Loxton as its new chief strategy officer, effective October. The London-based contractor made the announcement on Tuesday, adding to a series of leadership changes over the past 12 months.

Loxton will be responsible for shaping the company’s long-term strategy, with a focus on core markets such as energy, transport, and defence in the United Kingdom, as well as U.S. buildings. She will also help strengthen the firm’s presence in the U.K., U.S., and Asia, according to the announcement.

The focus on U.S. buildings comes as Balfour Beatty’s U.S. arm overall generated a profit in the first half of 2026, after reporting a loss in the first half of 2025. Chief Executive Philip Hoare told investors during the firm’s half-year earnings call in August that the company would continue to leverage 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’s appointment adds to a series of C-suite changes at Balfour Beatty over 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, according to the news release. She served in the government from 2005 to 2010, according to her LinkedIn.