AECOM announced on Wednesday that its board of directors has elected AECOM President Michael S. Burke, 50, to succeed John M. Dionisio, 65, as chief executive officer (CEO), as part of a planned succession process. Dionisio will become executive chairman of the board of directors when Burke succeeds him as CEO, and joins AECOM's board of directors, on March 6, 2014.

John M. Dionisio said:

"On behalf of AECOM's board of directors, I am pleased to announce Mike's appointment as CEO. As president, and in his previous role as CFO, Mike has worked closely with me to shape and drive AECOM's growth strategy, diversify our service offerings, expand our global footprint and deliver superior business results."This seamless transition is part of our planned succession process, which enables AECOM to continue to execute our enterprise strategy, while maintaining our commitment to delivering innovative solutions to our clients around the world."

Burke joined AECOM in 2005 and was named chief financial officer in 2006. He was appointed president of AECOM in October 2011 and has played a key role in the company's ability to double its workforce, triple its revenue and expand its technical capabilities and geographic reach during his tenure.

Burke said:

"I am extremely honored to lead AECOM and am grateful to John and the board of directors for the privilege to lead the 45,000 AECOM architects, engineers, designers, planners, scientists and management professionals who serve our clients around the world. I look forward to working with our talented management team to leverage AECOM's strengths and leadership in technical excellence, innovation and project delivery to provide world-class service to our clients, professional development opportunities to our staff and incremental value to our stockholders."

Dionisio has been with AECOM since 1971. In 2005, he was named president and CEO, and in 2011 he was named chairman of the board. In order to assist Burke and the company's board of directors through the transition, Dionisio has agreed to serve as executive chairman until March of 2015.