Betts Associates and Betts Hydro, a Deeside-based civil, structural and water engineering business, has appointed three new Associate Directors.
Gary Markham will work with all teams across the business – directly with the civil and structural engineering teams and indirectly with Betts Hydro. Having worked at housebuilder Redrow, now Barratt Redrow), for 25 years, Gary was the key driver in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and the development of 2D and 3D information. He worked closely with Betts during this period of his career. He was also product sponsor and primary contact in the introduction of a digital Central Data Environment (CDE) used across Redrow and assisted other companies this sector to achieve the same.
Jake Astley has been appointed to the structural engineering team, where he will apply his experience from working on large corporate facilities, particularly steel frame (schools) and portal frame (large industrial unit) structures. His most recent role was as principal structural engineer at Hydrock and latterly Stantec following their acquisition of Hydrock.
Jaime Ball joined Betts Hydro drawing on his broad experience managing water resources across several roles, including with the Environment Agency (EA), Jacobs and more recently with AECOM, working on high profile EA schemes.
All three new Associate Directors will work towards the business’ 2026 objectives to strengthen services and achieve growth. They will drive change, innovation and new opportunities, particularly when it comes to digital strategy for the company’s vast portfolio of projects.
Gary Markham said:
“My previous role gave me an insight into Betts and I saw their innovation and creativity. They played a significant role in the developments we were proud to build. I was delighted when the opportunity came to join the team.
“We have lots of projects across several sectors, from health to leisure, not forgetting the residential developments we play a key part in. Thanks to various factors, including new digital methods, the sector is seeing some serious change and I’m excited to channel this into Betts’ future.
“Speaking on behalf of Jake, Jamie and myself, we were all drawn to Betts as a privately owned, agile business where our work would have a direct and lasting impact on the business.”
Rob Ankers, Managing Director of Betts Associates, said:
“Earlier in 2025, we had a restructure of our board to preempt future growth. Our appointment of three Associate Directors is another stage of our changes at management level.
“2026 is shaping up to be a busy year for us, and thanks to our new recruits and the promotions team members have received, we can confidently grab it with both hands.”
Betts Associates and Betts Hydro portfolio spans structural, civil, geo-environmental, and flood risk engineering, serving clients across major residential developments, industrial projects, commercial ventures, and leisure facilities.
