Jack Lemley
Encyclopedia
Jack K Lemley CBE was the Chairman of the United Kingdom
Olympic Delivery Authority
, which is responsible for delivering the infrastructure for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, until his sudden resignation on October 18, 2006 http://sport.independent.co.uk/olympics/article1902188.ece.
From 1989 to 1993, Lemley was Chief Executive of Transmanche-Link, the consortium of five British and five French companies responsible for constructing and equipping the Channel Tunnel
; the largest privately-funded construction project in history.
He now runs his own consultancy Lemley and Associates in the United States
with high-profile contracts including reviewing the management of the $14bn Massachusetts Turnpike
.
and subsequent resignation in October 2006 has been surrounded by controversy and recrimination. Originally claiming his resignation was due to pressing commitments in his international construction business, Lemley International, he later asserted to the Idaho Statesman that his departure seemed necessary because political infighting and the unwillingness of government ministers to face up to construction challenges threatened the project and his reputation. “There was a huge amount of local politics,” he stated, “Those are the kind of things that confuse and frustrate the process.” (Idaho Statesman
, Oct. 31, 2006) Later he insisted that Culture Minister Tessa Jowell and London Mayor Ken Livingstone
ignored warnings that the project budget was spiraling out of control, refused to accept that chemical contamination of Olympic sites, particularly the Olympic Park in the Lea River valley, presented unexpectedly large challenges, hid additional expenses, such as VAT (Value Added Tax) costs, and refused to confront the reality that the Olympics may have to be scaled back keep within costs. Predicting “exponential” cost increases, Lemley maintained that “all they wanted to hear was good news” and that cost estimates for site preparation were, from the beginning, unrealistic: “A blind man could see there was a huge environmental problem. I thought it was highly likely they underestimated [the costs].” (Mail on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2006).http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=420068&in_page_id=1770
Following these revelations, government figures disputed Lemley’s version, criticizing him for breaking confidentiality and suggesting that due to health concerns Lemley was not fully aware of work and plans for the Olympic site. Mayor Ken Livingstone roundly criticized Lemley and suggested he had been treated more than fairly when asked to resign, being allowed a dignified departure due to his past services to the nation on the Channel tunnel project and a generous compensation package.(Mail on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2005 http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=420664&in_page_id=1770; The Guardian, Dec. 4, 2006 http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1963228,00.html. With the reputations of leading politicians and industry figures at stake, as well as billions of pounds in the balance, the charges and counter charges left the planning for the Olympics under a public cloud of criticism.
Lemley’s departure opened the Olympic project to a stormy public reassessment and admissions of cost overruns and technical difficulties. These are being dealt with by the new chief of the ODA, John Armitt, in the light of unprecedented public scrutiny. Despite the controversy, public and government support have continued to grow in the run up to the games as new expertise has been directed to solving the challenges the 2012 games face.http://sport.guardian.co.uk/london2012/story/0,,1996424,00.html
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Olympic Delivery Authority
Olympic Delivery Authority
The Olympic Delivery Authority is the statutory corporation responsible for ensuring delivery of venues, infrastructure and legacy for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in London...
, which is responsible for delivering the infrastructure for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, until his sudden resignation on October 18, 2006 http://sport.independent.co.uk/olympics/article1902188.ece.
From 1989 to 1993, Lemley was Chief Executive of Transmanche-Link, the consortium of five British and five French companies responsible for constructing and equipping the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
; the largest privately-funded construction project in history.
He now runs his own consultancy Lemley and Associates in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with high-profile contracts including reviewing the management of the $14bn Massachusetts Turnpike
Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...
.
Professional qualifications and education
- Chartered Civil Engineer #443241 (UK)
- UKFEANI Registered European Engineer #14679 (UK)
- BA Architecture, University of IdahoUniversity of IdahoThe University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
(1960)
Career
- 1960-1967: Various Graduate Positions (Guy F. Atkinson Company)
- 1967-1969: Assistant Project Engineer — Shift Superintendent, Guy F. Atkinson Company Mica Dam Contractors
- 1969-1970: President, Healthcare, Inc.
- 1971-1972: Project Manager, Walsh-Canonie Joint Venture (Guy F. Atkinson Co.)
- 1972-1975: Contracts and Engineering Manager, Water Tunnel Contractors (Consortium led by Guy F. Atkinson Co.)
- 1975-1977: General Manager, Walsh Construction Company (Subsidiary of Guy F. Atkinson Co.)
- 1977-1979: Vice President, Special Assignments (Marketing), Guy F. Atkinson Co.
- 1979-1981, General Manager, King Khalid Military CityKing Khalid Military CityKing Khalid Military City is a special city in northeastern Saudi Arabia and about 60 km south to Hafar Al-Batin City, designed and built by the Middle East Division, a unit of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the 1970s and 1980s. The consultants were Brown, Daltas, and Associates in...
Project, M-K Saudi Arabia Consortium - 1981-1983, Vice President, Heavy and Marine Group, Morrison-Knudsen Company, Inc.
- 1983-1985, Group Vice President, Heavy and Marine Group, Morrison-Knudsen Company, Inc.
- 1985-1987: Senior Vice President, Construction Division, Morrison-Knudsen Company, Inc.
- 1987-1988: President and Chief Executive Officer, Blount Construction Group of Blount, Inc.
- 1989-1993: Chief Executive Officer, Transmanche-Link Joint Venture — TML, The Channel Tunnel Contractors
- 1995-2001: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, American Ecology Corporation
- 1988–present: Principal, Jack Lemley Associates
Board positions and consultancies
- IDACORP, Inc., Board of Directors
- IDACORP Technology, Inc., Board of Directors
- Albertson College of IdahoAlbertson College of IdahoThe College of Idaho is a liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,010 students located in Caldwell, Idaho. From November 1991 until October 2007 it was known as Albertson College of Idaho.-History:...
, Trustee - 2005-2006: Chairman, Olympic Delivery Authority (London 2012 Olympic Games)
Olympic Delivery Authority
Lemley’s tenure as CEO of the Olympic Delivery AuthorityOlympic Delivery Authority
The Olympic Delivery Authority is the statutory corporation responsible for ensuring delivery of venues, infrastructure and legacy for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in London...
and subsequent resignation in October 2006 has been surrounded by controversy and recrimination. Originally claiming his resignation was due to pressing commitments in his international construction business, Lemley International, he later asserted to the Idaho Statesman that his departure seemed necessary because political infighting and the unwillingness of government ministers to face up to construction challenges threatened the project and his reputation. “There was a huge amount of local politics,” he stated, “Those are the kind of things that confuse and frustrate the process.” (Idaho Statesman
Idaho Statesman
The Idaho Statesman is a U.S. daily newspaper serving the Boise, Idaho metropolitan area. The paper has a circulation of 61,000 daily, 83,038 Sunday, and employs about 300 people. It is owned by The McClatchy Company....
, Oct. 31, 2006) Later he insisted that Culture Minister Tessa Jowell and London Mayor Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
ignored warnings that the project budget was spiraling out of control, refused to accept that chemical contamination of Olympic sites, particularly the Olympic Park in the Lea River valley, presented unexpectedly large challenges, hid additional expenses, such as VAT (Value Added Tax) costs, and refused to confront the reality that the Olympics may have to be scaled back keep within costs. Predicting “exponential” cost increases, Lemley maintained that “all they wanted to hear was good news” and that cost estimates for site preparation were, from the beginning, unrealistic: “A blind man could see there was a huge environmental problem. I thought it was highly likely they underestimated [the costs].” (Mail on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2006).http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=420068&in_page_id=1770
Following these revelations, government figures disputed Lemley’s version, criticizing him for breaking confidentiality and suggesting that due to health concerns Lemley was not fully aware of work and plans for the Olympic site. Mayor Ken Livingstone roundly criticized Lemley and suggested he had been treated more than fairly when asked to resign, being allowed a dignified departure due to his past services to the nation on the Channel tunnel project and a generous compensation package.(Mail on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2005 http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=420664&in_page_id=1770; The Guardian, Dec. 4, 2006 http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1963228,00.html. With the reputations of leading politicians and industry figures at stake, as well as billions of pounds in the balance, the charges and counter charges left the planning for the Olympics under a public cloud of criticism.
Lemley’s departure opened the Olympic project to a stormy public reassessment and admissions of cost overruns and technical difficulties. These are being dealt with by the new chief of the ODA, John Armitt, in the light of unprecedented public scrutiny. Despite the controversy, public and government support have continued to grow in the run up to the games as new expertise has been directed to solving the challenges the 2012 games face.http://sport.guardian.co.uk/london2012/story/0,,1996424,00.html
Awards and honours
- Opal award, ASCE Lifetime Achievement Award In Construction (2005)
- Distinguished Alumni Award, North Idaho College (2003)
- Engineering New-Record, “125 Years…125 Top People” selection. (1999)
- Honorary Doctor of Science Degree, University of Idaho (1998)
- Idaho’s Hall of Fame Association, Outstanding Achievement in Industry (1997)
- Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (1996)
- British Construction Industry Awards, Special Award for Channel Tunnel Tunnels (1994)
- ASCE-John I. Parcel-Leif J. SverdrupLeif J. SverdrupLeif Johan Sverdrup was a Norwegian born, American civil engineer and general with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the first half of the 20th century...
Engineering Management Award (1994) - Civil Engineering Management Award (1994)
- Michigan State University Dean's Award for Distinguished Contributors to Engineering Science, Design and Practice (1993)
- Golden Beaver Award for Supervision (1992)
- ACEC Fellow - Distinguished Award of Merit (1992)
- American Underground Space Association Award of Merit (1991)
- Engineering New-Record "Man of the Year" (1991)
- ASCE Construction Management Award (1991)
- University of Idaho Alumni Hall of Fame (1991)
Professional associations and memberships
- Member, American Arbitration Association
- Member, The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Fellow, Institution of Civil Engineers, United Kingdom
- Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers; Served on various committees & subcommittees including Vice Chairman & Past Secretary of the Underground Technology Research section & Member of its Executive Committee
- Member, American Society of Military Engineers
- Member, American Underground-Space Association
- Member, British Tunnelling Association
- Life Member, International Tunnelling Association Executive Council; Secretary and Past Chairman of the Working Group on Contractual Sharing of Risks
- President, International Tunnelling Association (1983–1986)
- Ex-Officio Member, US National Committee on Tunnelling Technology and Past Chairman and Member of the Subcommittee on Contracting Practices
- Member, United States Committee on Large Dams
- Member, International Committee on Large Dams
- Member, Underground Technology Advisory Panel
- Member, The Moles
- Member, The Beavers