Company president, former chief of staff to CEO to guide global human resources efforts as company continues growth trajectory

Andrea Bernica, who was Black & Veatch’s lead employment and corporate counsel before serving as Chairman and CEO Mario Azar’s chief of staff, has been named Chief People Officer of the global critical infrastructure solutions leader.

A lawyer by trade and an existing member of Black & Veatch’s leadership team, Bernica as a new president will lead all elements of the company’s global human resource strategy while managing talent and organizational capability, cultivating an inclusive, high-performing work environment with professionals from diverse backgrounds.

Bernica, who joined the entirely employee-owned company in 2011, previously served as its vice president and lead employment and corporate counsel, overseeing corporate compliance and enterprise risk management functions. Most recently as chief of staff, she collaborated with Azar on companywide strategic objectives, helped prioritize and track progress of companywide initiatives, and shepherded follow-through on decisions and actions for the Black & Veatch Board of Directors. She also has served as assistant secretary to the board.

“Change is a constant in an evolving and growing business, and transformation is a living process,” Azar said. “In her new role, Andrea will remain instrumental in keeping us on our exciting trajectory of growth, opportunity and innovation for our clients, communities and employee-owners.”

The company has expanded its workforce by 31 percent since January 2022 as it addresses some of the world’s most-pressing megatrends, including sustainability, water supply, connectivity and a dynamic energy transition.

Acknowledging that “our employee-owners are the heart of everything we do at Black & Veatch,” Bernica said she is honored to serve “a diverse workforce committed to excellence, innovation, integrity and community engagement.”

“Our strategy is more than just a plan for growth; it's a commitment to our employee-owners,” she added. “By inspiring and elevating our talent, cultivating innovation that solves our clients’ challenges and positively impacting our communities, we will continue to attract and retain top talent that shares our values and seeks to make a positive impact on the world.”

Katie Werner, a senior vice president who joined Black & Veatch in 2000, succeeds Bernica as the new chief of staff to Azar. She most recently served as vice president and lead human resources partner for the company’s energy and process industries business sector, which serves clients in power, oil and gas, mining and other process industries such as pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and food and beverage. She previously directed operations and talent development for the company’s former oil and gas business.

Editor’s Notes:

• Bernica has served on the Nelson-Atkins Business Council and actively serves on the advisory board of the United Way of Greater Kansas City’s Toqueville Society, the advisory board for KC Global Design, and on the board for Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of Johnson and Wyandotte counties, most recently as the child advocacy group’s chair and now as an advisory member.
• For a high-resolution image of Andrea Bernica, click here.

About Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

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