O’Sullivan replaces Nigel Russell, who was promoted to chief executive officer of Balfour Beatty’s HS2 Major Projects business at the start of this year.

With over 40 years’ experience in the industry, O’Sullivan has helped deliver some of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects in the UK and overseas including Nam Cheong Station West Rail interchange in Hong Kong and Terminal 2B and Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.

Also he was responsible for Balfour Beatty’s joint venture project with Morgan Sindall and Vinci Construction, as senior project director, on the Whitechapel Elizabeth Line station project and, more recently, was Balfour Beatty’s senior representative on the Sizewell C nuclear power station project.

O’Sullivan joined Balfour Beatty as an electrical engineering apprentice in 1980.

Steve O’Sullivan will be project director for the Balfour Beatty Vinci Systra JV at Old Oak Common station.

He said: “It is an honour to be leading the 2,000 employees who are already working tirelessly at Old Oak Common to ensure its success and be part of the regeneration of the area in which I grew up.”