Vancouver, Canada, based Barrett makes way for McGurk after spending 16 of his 40 years with SRK as CEO. He will continue to perform internal advisory roles and do project work with the firm.

McGurk, based in Cardiff, Wales, became a director of SRK in 2015 and is described as an underground mining specialist who has worked in strategic and concept planning, operations management, and business planning roles for major and mid-tier mining companies.

At SRK McGurk manages multidisciplinary technical studies and provides expert input to due diligence studies and competent person's and independent engineer reports.

SRK chair Jeff Parshley paid tributes to Barrett's "considerable achievements as global CEO". The world's biggest mining technical consulting group, 47-year-old SRK employs more than 1,400 professionals on six continents in 45 offices.

"I am delighted to take on a new role as CEO …  including supporting SRK's aim to be recognised as the mining industry's partner of choice," McGurk said.

"With our sector changing faster than ever, our teams must continue to adapt, collaborate, and innovate to provide the sustainable and economic solutions that our clients and involved stakeholders expect."