International engineering consultancy Penspen has announced two strategic leadership appointments following a record-breaking year for sales.
Neale Carter has been promoted to the newly created position of chief commercial officer. In this role, he will oversee and strengthen the company’s business pursuit, proposal management and project management procedures, in addition to retaining responsibility for sales, marketing and operations. The creation of the role reflects Penspen’s continued expansion and its emphasis on strong commercial leadership as it builds on recent momentum.
Based in Abu Dhabi, Carter will also continue to serve as Executive Vice President – East Region and remains a member of Penspen’s Executive Committee.
Arun Behl has been appointed director of sales and marketing – East Region. His expanded remit now includes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, alongside his existing responsibilities across the Middle East and Africa. A member of Penspen’s Executive Leadership Team, Behl will remain based in Abu Dhabi.
Since joining Penspen in 2019, Behl has played a key role in enhancing sales and marketing performance across the Middle East and Africa, supporting robust pipeline development and sustained commercial growth.
The appointments follow a record year in 2025, during which Penspen reported a 120 percent increase in sales compared with the previous year. Growth was recorded across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas, driven by major energy infrastructure and energy transition programmes.
Strong global performance was achieved across engineering, project management consultancy (PMC) and asset integrity services, with Penspen supporting national oil companies, utilities and infrastructure developers on complex energy projects worldwide.
Chief Executive Officer Peter O’Sullivan said 2025 marked one of the strongest commercial and delivery years in the company’s history, with more than $456 million in contract awards secured in the East Region alone. He noted that both Carter and Behl had played critical roles in delivering this performance.
O’Sullivan added that Carter had been instrumental in driving strategic growth, enhancing delivery performance and maintaining technical excellence, particularly in the East Region, and described the Chief Commercial Officer position as pivotal to the next phase of the company’s strategy.
He also highlighted Behl’s focus on client relationships and disciplined sales execution, which he said had driven sustained regional growth and positioned the business to expand further within Saudi Arabia while strengthening long-term client partnerships.
The company said the promotions underline its commitment to clients and its focus on delivering innovative energy infrastructure projects efficiently and at scale, reinforcing its position as a strategic partner in the delivery of technically complex projects that enhance access to secure and sustainable energy.
For more information visit www.penspen.com
