Engineering Leadership Key Developments to Support Global Growth

Strengthening Engineering Leadership at Board Level

Mick Cairns transitions to Chairman and CEO

Mick Cairns, Founder of Black & White Engineering, will assume the role of Chairman and CEO, a governance enhancement designed to support the company’s long-term growth strategy. This transition enables the business to maintain the founder-led strategic insight that has shaped its success, while building additional leadership depth for the next phase of expansion.

As Chairman and CEO, Mick continues to play an active and central role in guiding the company’s strategic direction as it advances its 2029 Vision. Black & White’s mission, culture and priorities remain unchanged, with a focus on leading in advanced engineering and design and delivering sustainable, high-performance solutions across mission-critical sectors.

Expanding Technical Leadership Capability

Charlie Bater appointed Chief Technical Officer

Black & White Engineering has appointed Charlie Bater as Chief Technical Officer (CTO), effective immediately. This strategic appointment reflects continued investment in engineering leadership, strengthening its technical expertise as it scales to meet global demand for mission-critical digital infrastructure.

Charlie joined Black & White seven years ago and has progressed through several senior roles, most recently serving as Global Datacentre Director. Throughout his tenure, he has been instrumental in driving regional expansion, elevating technical standards and embedding a Client First approach across project delivery.

The creation of the CTO role reinforces Black & White’s commitment to technical excellence and innovation. The strengthened  leadership structure will support the company’s rapid growth, enhance engineering capability and create new opportunities for career development across its global technical teams.

Leadership Perspective on Growth and Direction

Mick Cairns, Chairman and CEO

“The last decade has been an incredible journey, and now that we embark on our vision for the next decade, I look forward to working with our executive board and regional directors to achieve our ambition to become the world’s leading critical buildings and infrastructure engineering consultancy. With clear short, medium and longer-term goals in place to build a global business that meets the challenges of our sector, it is essential to strengthen our leadership group further.”

Charlie Bater, Chief Technical Officer

“Stepping into the CTO role is an incredible opportunity, and I’m grateful for the trust placed in me. Having grown with the business over the past seven years, I’ve seen firsthand the strength of our people and the ambition that drives Black & White. My focus is to build on our position as the leading data centre design consultancy by further enabling a technical function that drives innovation, supports our teams and ensures we continue delivering industry-leading solutions for our clients across the globe. The best is still ahead of us.”

Engineering Leadership: Supporting Global Growth

These leadership developments reinforce Black & White Engineering’s commitment to sustainable, long-term growth as it continues expanding its global footprint.

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