Paul Hamer will join the company, which provides engineering, environmental, planning and management services to the public and private sector, and take a position on its main plc board on July 1.

He will report to the firm's chief executive officer, Lawrie Haynes.

The 39-year-old is managing director of VT Nuclear Services, part of defence and civil contractor VT Group plc which was formerly known as Vosper Thornycroft.

VT Nuclear Services is the international nuclear division of VT Group and employs more than 700 people with a turnover of £86m. The company was acquired from BNFL in January.

Mr Hamer previously held senior positions in the contracting, oil, chemical and petrochemical sectors.

White Young Green said this morning he had "a proven track record of leading multi-discipline teams to drive and shape market penetration, integrate and optimise business operations and deliver profitable growth".

A statement from the firm said that as its chief operating officer he would have a critical role working with the the chief executive officer, the board and WYG's business unit managing directors to provide operational leadership, ensure best practice excellence across the business and build on the existing strengths of the operational management team.

Welcoming the new appointment, Mr Haynes said: "The chairman, board and I are delighted that Paul has accepted the role of chief operating officer at WYG.

"He is a proven leader with a superb track record and has been the driving force behind delivering improved operational and financial performance across complex, multi-site organisations.

"He has both the strategic vision and operational experience to take the company into its next phase of growth."

Mr Hamer started his career with engineering contractor Humphreys and Glasgow Ltd before moving into the pharmaceutical, oil, gas and nuclear engineering sectors.

Senior leadership roles include director of projects with Costain Oil, Gas and Process Ltd and a similar role at BNFL Environmental Services.
He holds an MSc (Dist) in Engineering Project Management.