Global consultancy SRK Consulting has appointed partner and principal geologist (geotechnical) Robert Armstrong as a director in its South African consulting practice.

Armstrong has been with the company since 2001, when he joined as a student geologist.

He has been involved in geotechnical projects throughout Africa, as well as in Argentina, Peru, Russia, Serbia, Iran and Australia.

His expertise covers slope design, the collection and reviewing of geotechnical data, geotechnical slope management programmes and geotechnical risk management.

Armstrong was made a partner of the practice in 2016 and has been managing partner of the Mining Business Unit since 2021.

He has written and contributed to over a dozen technical papers, and has served as chairperson of the International Symposium on Slope Stability, and as vice-president of the South African National Institute of Rock Engineering.

Armstrong has also been the recipient of the Silver Certificate of Merit from the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

He earned his qualifications at the University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Geosciences in Johannesburg, where he completed a BSc (Hons) in Mining and Exploration Geology.

The company has also appointed principal scientist Richard O’Brien as a partner in its South African practice.

Based in SRK’s Cape Town office, O’Brien has been involved in environmental geochemistry for over 22 years and specialises in the management, assessment and remediation of contaminated land and industrial waste characterisation.

He works in mine residue characterisation and environmental due diligence investigations, as well as the design and implementation of groundwater monitoring programmes.

O’Brien’s areas of expertise include environmental site assessments, conceptual site model development, vapour intrusion assessments and water quality.

He holds a Master's degree in Environmental Geochemistry, a BSc (Hons) in Geochemistry, and a BSc in Geology.