Staff at W.D.M. Limited are mourning the loss of a much-valued colleague.
Dr. Chris Kennedy was a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Director of WDM®, a post he held from 1985 through to his retirement from full-time work in 2014.
However, he continued as a consultant with the Company up until his sudden death in November 2019, notably helping set up their new USA operation.
In addition to his senior role with WDM®, Chris was also responsible for pioneering the series of International Safer Roads Conferences, which the Company has supported since their inception in 2005.
As a consultant he continued to be heavily involved with the Safer Roads Conference in 2017, in New Zealand, and has been joint chair of the technical advisory committee of the sixth conference, which is due to be held in Richmond, Virginia, in May 2020.
The conferences have brought together engineers from around the world to share best practices, helping develop safer roads and saving lives.
After gaining his Doctorate at Birmingham University, where he met his wife Gill, he worked for four years at the Transport Research Laboratory, where he took a leading role in the development of the UK Structural Maintenance Evaluation and Overlay Design Method.
Chris then moved to the University of Plymouth, England, as Head of Department of Civil Engineering, before joining WDM®.
With WDM®, Chris was responsible for Consultancy and Survey Services. This involved the introduction and development of highway condition surveys, which are now operated on a world-wide basis, together with the development of computerised management systems to achieve cost-effective maintenance programmes.
More recently, his areas of interest included surface characteristics of roads, particularly skid resistance, and the development of Safety Policies and tools to enhance Asset Management of highway networks.
Notably, Chris headed up the contract with the New Zealand government, where WDM® has used its SCRIM® road survey vehicles to provide road condition and skid resistance surveys for the past two decades, helping reduce skid related fatalities by more then 30%, with a cost/benefit ratio of 35 to one.
Chris was a husband, father, grandfather and supporter of Plymouth Argyle football club, but perhaps his greatest contribution was through the Safer Roads Conferences, which have done so much to improve the safety of roads around the globe, helping save thousands of lives.
John Gardiner, Chairman of W.D.M. Limited said Chris had played a major role in the growth of the Company.
“He was a tireless worker who demanded the highest standards from himself and brought the best out of everyone he met and worked with. In particular, he drove the contract we had with the New Zealand government, which helped save countless lives through delivering safer roads.
“Chris was also the driving force behind the International Safer Roads Conference that helped raise the standards of road safety around the world and deliver best practice. He will be sorely missed.”
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