SNC-Lavalin COO Neil Bruce named company's next president and CEO

Neil Bruce, the chief operating officer of SNC-Lavalin, has been named as the engineering company's next CEO and president and will take over the top job as of October.

SNC-Lavalin announced the decision in a news release early Monday. Bruce will succeed Robert G. Card, who will stay on with the company in an advisory role.

Bruce only joined the company in January 2013, and was named COO as recently as April 2015, but all told he has 30 years of experience in the engineering and construction industry. He has already moved to Montreal, where SNC-Lavalin is based.

"The board is thrilled to have a leader of his caliber with deep project management and execution experience to lead and grow the company," chairman of the board Lawrence Stevenson said.

Stevenson said Card transformed the company by enhancing its ethics and compliance system.

Card has led SNC for the last three years, a time during which SNC has repositioned its operations through the sale of AltaLink electric transmission company in Alberta and the acquitting of U.K.-based Kentz, which is a firm with expertise in oil and gas. No explanation for Card's departure was given in the release on Monday.

Bruce has been leading SNC's mining, metallurgy and oil and gas business.

The change comes as the company and two of its subsidiaries face one count of fraud and one of corruption over its dealings in Libya which it plans to plead not guilty.