ACE’s new chief executive: implications for UK infrastructure consultancies
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
The Association for Consultancy & Engineering has appointed Milda Manomaityte as chief executive from 2 March 2026, making her the fifth CEO in eight years after the long 14.5‑year tenure of Nelson Ogunshakin ended in 2018. Manomaityte, currently chief operating officer at the Railway Industry Association and formerly a trade journalist in Lithuania and the UK, succeeds Kate Jennings, who is leaving after two years in post. She will be tasked with delivering ACE Group’s three‑year business plan and maintaining its role as a “trusted, influential voice” for infrastructure, including through the Environmental Industries Commission.
Technical Brief
- Tenure contrast is stark: Ogunshakin’s 14.5 years versus three successive CEOs each lasting ~2 years.
- Manomaityte brings seven years’ Railway Industry Association experience, finishing as chief operating officer.
- Career pathway includes technical trade journalism in Lithuania and UK construction/rail sectors since 2007.
- ACE Group structure couples consultancy/engineering members with the Environmental Industries Commission under a single leadership.
Our Take
Within the 613 Infrastructure stories in our database, leadership churn at UK industry bodies like the Association for Consultancy & Engineering is relatively rare compared with contractor or client organisations, suggesting ACE’s pattern of five chiefs in eight years is an outlier that member firms will be watching closely for policy continuity.
Milda Manomaityte’s seven-year tenure at the Railway Industry Association positions ACE to align more tightly with rail clients and supply chains, which could influence how infrastructure consultancy frameworks are shaped for rail upgrades and decarbonisation work in the UK.
With ACE and its Environmental Industries Commission arm both active on UK policy, a CEO transition in March 2026 lands just as the next spending cycle for major infrastructure projects is being defined, likely giving Manomaityte early leverage over how consulting input is channelled into government programmes.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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