AECOM has appointed Bridget Ssamula as Managing Director for Uganda. In addition to her new role, Ssamula still holds the sector lead role for aviation in Africa. She joined AECOM in 2013. Over the three years she has held various portfolios, including Market Sector Lead for Rail and Key Account Manager for Transnet.

She has taken a special interest in supplier development and local content as part of infrastructure project delivery. “I am an avid promoter of leaving a legacy in whatever I do. As such, I am a keen champion of the social and developmental aspects of infrastructure project delivery in our African business.

“In our local content programmes, we identify strategies to incorporate the training of younger professionals, thus creating opportunities for local companies to participate in AECOM projects,” Ssamula elaborates. Born in Uganda, Ssamula has a PhD in Transportation Engineering from the University of Pretoria and an MBA in Aviation Management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in the US. She has more than 15 years’ experience in transportation projects.

Her specialist skills encompass strategic planning, transportation network design, costing and optimisation, as well as transport operations planning and modelling (with specific emphasis on airlines, airports, and public transport).

Ssamula has worked in research, academia, and operations and consulting in the road, rail, public transport and aviation sectors. She has numerous industry awards and recognitions, and is the author of a variety of peer-reviewed conferences, conference papers, technical papers and mainstream articles.
She has been an advisor in the transport industry in Southern Africa, is a current member of the panel of experts for the Gauteng Transport Commission, and Chairperson of the Transnet Liaison Committee in conjunction with Consulting Engineers South Africa. She is also a Non-Executive Director of Air Traffic Navigation Services and Mayibuye Transport Corporation.

Ssamula served as a Non-Executive Director for South African Express Airways from 2007 to 2015. She was also a Steering Committee Member for the Gauteng Integrated Transport Master Plan (2011 to 2013), and a Transport Advisor for the City of Johannesburg’s Growth Development Strategy (GDS) 2040 (2011 to 2012) and the Gauteng E-Toll Advisory Panel in 2014.