February 13, 2023, Vancouver, BC, Canada – Jeremy Haile, Principal Engineer at Knight Piésold Canada, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Canadian Consulting Engineer. Haile is one of three recipients of the inaugural awards program, recognizing leading figures in today’s consulting engineering community across the country.

The Canadian Consulting Engineer announced the winners in the January/February issue of the magazine, which included Catherine Karakatsanis of Morrison Hershfield and Maurice Brisson of BBA. On Haile’s selection, Peter Saunders, Editor of Canadian Consulting Engineer, said, “With one of the longest tenures in his firm, Jeremy Haile has not only had an exceptional career but also continues to contribute to Canada’s consulting engineering sector through his rich experience, expertise, and forward-looking vision.”

“I’ve only worked for one company,” said Haile. He started his career in 1972 as a project engineer at Watermeyer, Legge, Piésold and Uhlmann, the predecessor to Knight Piésold, working at an office in the UK and construction sites in Zambia and Malawi. He was transferred to the Vancouver office in 1979, where he served as senior engineer and director until 1990. He then became president of Knight Piésold Canada, a position he held until 2012.

The Vancouver office, which had a team of about 20 people in the 1980s, primarily focused on mining and water infrastructure projects, until Haile, as president, branched out into British Columbia’s hydropower industry in the early 1990s, developing run-of-river hydroelectric projects for mining clients and independent power producers. He spearheaded the company’s geographic and service expansion, opening another office in North Bay, Ontario, and increasing involvement in eastern Canada and international projects. The company had grown to about 200 people across Canada when Haile stepped down from the helm in 2012.

Haile specializes in project development from concept and feasibility studies through to construction QA/QC and commissioning for mining, hydropower, and water infrastructure projects. His experience is primarily associated with the identification of hydropower and alternative energy projects, concept development of overall mining waste and water management, design and seismic evaluation of embankment dams and tailings dams, and specialist technical reviews and dam safety audits for tailings dams. He has been involved in small to large and new to operational projects in North and South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa.

“We are exceptionally proud of Jeremy for being honoured with this much-deserved award,” said Ken Embree, President of Knight Piésold Canada. “He has been instrumental in transforming Knight Piésold to what it is today, not just in Canada but globally as well. In addition to his technical engineering contributions, he developed internal systems and technologies and nurtured a unique culture that remains at the heart of the company. We are thankful to Jeremy for his many contributions to our ongoing success.”

Haile, who has one of the longest tenures of anyone currently working at Knight Piésold anywhere in the world, continues to mentor the team and support key projects as a specialist technical reviewer.

Embree added, “His passion and intuition for engineering, his big picture planning, his steady hand on challenging projects, and in particular, his extraordinary attitude towards the profession and life, has made an impact on all of us in so many ways.”

“Jeremy is an inspiration for all of us at Knight Piésold, and we are continuing to build on his legacy of excellence for the next generation of consulting engineers.”

Read the cover story of the January/February issue of Canadian Consulting Engineers here.