Black & Veatch Promotes CIO Irvin Bishop Jr. to Executive Vice President

Having intensified Black & Veatch’s focus on deployment of data optimization and other transformative technologies to bolster decision-making and value to clients, Irvin Bishop Jr., chief information officer (CIO), has been promoted to executive vice president.

Bishop, formerly a senior vice president, joined Black & Veatch in mid-2020 after leading award-winning innovation programs with iconic brands such as The Coca-Cola Company and AT&T. He recently completed the roadmap of the company’s global digital strategy through 2023. With a focus on the optimization of internal efforts that will speed execution and provide greater value to clients, the roadmap uses a “digital yardstick” to measure each Black & Veatch initiative, relying on data to pinpoint the impact on clients, internal revenues and the value to each of the company’s business units. Bishop’s strategy looks to optimize organizational effectiveness, operational excellence and the company’s technological capabilities.

In addition to setting the digital strategy, Bishop has revamped leadership of Black & Veatch’s information technology (IT) services team through the addition of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Chris Murphy and Chief Security Officer (CISO) Shibu Cherian. The team is focused on creating a best-in-class technology blueprint that anticipates client needs and creates enterprise solutions across all Black & Veatch’s business lines. Cross-functional teams created by Bishop to represent each of the company’s business lines also have studied and employed best practices – even those outside of the engineering and construction markets – in a unified push to accelerate speed to market and return on investment.

“With the new understanding and adoption of digital infrastructure, we’ve seen how our clients’ businesses evolve, driving their energy, water and communications needs to evolve as well,” Bishop said. “By letting data lead us and be our guiding light, we can better understand how to meet those needs and provide an experience unmatched in the industry.”

“As rising demands pressure our clients to deliver ever-more resilient, reliable and sustainable operations, we’re focused on assuming a listening role,” he added. “Where are their industries going? What are our clients’ most critical goals and issues? What are their pain points? Data helps answer those questions, ultimately helping innovation and success.”

Bishop’s path to CIO for a global consulting, engineering and construction leader has been nontraditional, given that he’s not an engineer and served in top digital marketing roles in the business-to-consumer (B2C) sector, and not the business-to-business (B2B) realm in which Black & Veatch operates. His experience in digital marketing, comprehensive embrace of the power of data – and its intrinsic need to closely listen to consumer feedback – makes him uniquely skilled to reshape Black & Veatch’s business-facing approach, helping to strengthen client acquisition and retention.

“We are listening in real time to our clients’ and customers’ needs while keeping our finger on the pulse of changing technology and market forces. This approach is why data is so important,” Bishop said.

Black & Veatch’s CEO, Steve Edwards, credits Bishop with being “a force for change in our company, marshalling data and advancing technologies to light our progressive path forward and to enhance experiences and outcomes for the clients and communities we serve.”

“Just as his sharp focus on technologies enabled some of the world’s most-recognized brands to strengthen relationships with clients, partners and consumers, his expertise will continue to be critical to supporting our global growth strategies,” Edwards said.

Bishop has been a strong advocate for amplifying diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts at Black & Veatch, which was named to Forbes’ annual list of “Best Employers for Diversity.” To him, “our focus on DE&I provides a very relevant ear to what the world is looking for, and companies that embrace varying backgrounds and perspectives are more successful and offer workplace experiences that drive better employee engagement and retention.”