Kitimat Modernization Project: Building the Future Together
 |
| Brent Hegger Managing Director, Kitimat Modernization Project |
Brent Hegger joined Rio Tinto Alcan Kitimat Modernization Project as the Managing Director on May 1, 2008. Previously, Brent was the Chief Executive Officer of the Rio Tinto Alcan Coega smelter project in South Africa. Recently, when the Coega project was deferred due to the uncertainty of power availability, it was a prime opportunity for the Kitimat Modernization Project and Owners’ team to welcome and benefit from Brent’s extensive knowledge and smelter construction experience.
Brent was raised in Montreal, Quebec, and earned a bachelors and masters degree in mechanical engineering from McGill University. After graduation, Brent joined Alcan’s Saguenay region. However, with an engineering background and fostering an inherent passion to build, he joined SNC-Lavalin Inc., an international construction project management firm, and ironically, he was assigned to construct Alcan’s Grand Baie smelter in Quebec, Canada.
Brent’s 25-year international construction and project management career has led his family to enjoy traveling the world and for himself, to achieve progressing to ever-increasing responsibilities; from design to cost and schedule control to project management to project manager on large-scale construction projects.
Brent has managed construction projects in defense, light rapid transit, communications, nuclear, and the mining industry. Typically, assignments have been three-years, and often times, in remote locations; his journeys have taken him to Russia, Malaysia, South America, Africa, Australia and North America.
Since the Grand Baie smelter project, Brent has been involved in five Greenfield and two Brownfield smelter construction projects. Most memorable accomplishments include the Hillside project in Africa and the challenging 250,000 tonne Mozal smelter in Mozambique, where Brent earned an enviable reputation for execution – delivering a project safely, under budget and ahead of schedule. Mozal produced its first aluminum 25 months after construction start date – six months ahead of schedule – an unprecedented construction world record for a Greenfield smelter of its size.
Brent is anxious to move forward offering his experience by leading the Kitimat Modernization Project and Operations team in its endeavor to construct Rio Tinto’s largest wholly-owned smelter and one of three largest smelters in North America.