Brendan Peters Bechtel’s earliest memories aren’t fancy boardrooms or suits. At age three, he called a trailer on a Bechtel construction site in Borneo home, full of sawdust and steel and the day-to-day hum of building. His first “real” job was at fourteen, installing security cables for laptops in Bechtel’s IT department over a summer, no internship perks, just hands-on work.
Earning His Stripes Away from the Family Name
After graduating from Middlebury College in 2003 with a geography degree, Brendan kept to Bechtel’s unofficial rule: family members must cut their teeth elsewhere first. He spent two years at a conservation nonprofit before heading to Stanford, where he earned both an MBA and a master’s in construction engineering and management.
Learning from the Ground Up
Back at Bechtel, Brendan took on roles that stretched across energy, infrastructure, and power. He managed contracts, supervised construction, and learned critical systems, from safety protocols to project controls. He later led the Oil, Gas & Chemicals division. He oversaw major projects like the Dulles Corridor Metrorail, the San Onofre nuclear plant, and the $10 billion Curtis Island LNG complex in Australia. He even lived part-time in a camp near the Curtis Island site to keep the build on track.
At the Helm at Mid-Thirty
In September 2016, Brendan became CEO of Bechtel at age 35, making him the second-youngest person in the company’s history to hold that role. Less than a year later, in April 2017, the board named him chairman, succeeding his father. Now, he leads both day-to-day operations and the board at the family-owned firm.
Steering the Future
Under Brendan’s leadership, Bechtel entered its nineteenth consecutive year (as of 2017) as the top U.S. contractor, according to Engineering News-Record. The company’s Curtis Island project earned prestigious awards, Construction Project of the Year from S&P Global Platts and Global Best Project (power/industrial) from ENR. Brendan also pushed company-wide sustainability goals and supported educational outreach, including contributing to the film Dream Big to inspire students toward STEM careers.
When Bechtel decided to move its headquarters from San Francisco to Reston, Virginia, in late 2018, Brendan was already based out of Reston and quietly oversaw the transition. He has consistently rejected the idea of an IPO, preferring steady, value-driven leadership over “growth for growth’s sake.”
A Life Grounded in Work, And Play
Brendan married roughly one month before heading to Australia for the Curtis Island project in early 2012, according to biographical sources. Today, he lives near Washington, D.C., with his wife (a third-generation Washingtonian) and their children. Off-duty, he’s often found fishing or skiing, in California or the Rockies.
Influence Beyond Bechtel
Outside the firm, Brendan plays influential roles: he chairs the Infrastructure Committee and serves on the board of directors for the Business Roundtable. He’s also a trustee of both the National Geographic Society and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, and serves on the Fremont Group’s advisory board. He holds membership in bodies like the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Society of Corporate Executives.
Brendan Bechtel’s personal story, starting from temporary living quarters on a remote site, through rigorous academic training, to leading one of the world’s largest engineering firms, feels authentic, grounded, and distinctly human. Let me know if you’d like it fine-tuned further, maybe a more intimate angle on a specific project or quotes from people who’ve worked alongside him.
