Bridge expert Darryl Matson, P.Eng., P.E., of COWI is one of the two winners of ACEC's prestigious 2026 Beaubien Award

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 29, 2026 /CNW/ -- At tonight's ACEC National Awards Gala, the prestigious Beaubien Award went to not one, but two recipients. Since 1985, the Beaubien Award has been the hallmark of excellence in the consulting engineering industry. Named in honour of Dr. James de Gaspé Beaubien, who founded the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Canada in 1925, this award recognizes individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the profession.

It has been more than a decade since the Past Chair's Council, who select the award recipient, were presented with such phenomenal candidates they could not select just one. The 2026 winners are Darryl Matson, P.Eng., P.E., Senior Vice President and Senior Project Director with COWI, and Alex Brisson, P.Eng., MBA, ASC, President and CEO of Norda Stelo.

About Darryl Matson, P.Eng., P.E.

Darryl Matson is an engineer who excels at building bridges.

Some have been high-profile worldwide firsts, achieving complex technical feats that help create safe infrastructure for the daily lives of millions. Think of the Lions Gate Bridge in B.C., an essential connection from Vancouver to its northern communities for commuters and businesses. With his characteristic creativity, patience, and calm, Darryl led a project to completely replace the suspended structure while still making it possible for traffic to move across it. Think, too, of his seismic retrofitting of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Or his collaborations with seismic researchers at UC Berkeley and UC San Diego, which led to advancements in industry knowl­edge, such as the use of carbon fibre wrapping and lead rubber isolation bearings in bridge construction.

Other bridges Darryl has built have been less visible but no less important, namely the countless human connections he has made with colleagues, clients, and the many young engineering professionals he has mentored.

"Darryl has an incredible ability to solve complex technical problems, but just as importantly, he builds trust with clients, partners, and other engineers," observes his colleague, Anne-Marie Langlois, COWI's Vice President, Head of Engineering, Canada. "Darryl has always been a trusted mentor, friend, and someone who has been available to chat anytime about anything related to my work or career."  

Throughout Darryl's 35+ years at COWI, which he joined as a junior engineer and of which he became President for many years, he has been a driving force in making the firm one of the top bridge engineering firms in North America. Much of that is down to the priority he has placed on knowledge transfer and the development of future leaders.

Having been an active participant in leadership development programs himself, he now leads them--from informal lunch-and-learns (known as Table Talks with Darryl) to more formal programs, such as COWI's new Early Careers Network leadership training group, which teaches junior staff how an engineering business works.

A devoted family man and volunteer, Darryl believes in giving back. Besides being involved as an industry leader within ACEC-BC and with his alma mater, UBC, for most of his career, Darryl has supported the promotion of engineering in local communities--where he has given talks or interviews to local Vancouver organizations, including the media, schools, and local Rotary Clubs.   

For his many contributions, from numerous engineering feats to laying the groundwork for the next generation of engineering professionals, he has earned the 2026 Beaubien Award.

About ACEC
ACEC is the national voice of consulting engineering companies, representing firms across the country that provide professional engineering services to both public and private sector clients. These services include the planning, design, and execution of all types of engineering projects, as well as providing independent advice and expertise in a wide range of engineering and engineering-related fields. For more information about ACEC and the 2026 ACEC National Awards, please visit www.acec.ca.

Multimedia
Darryl Matson – Beaubien Award Photo and Video (see ACEC website)

SOURCE Association of Consulting Engineering Companies

Media Contact: Natalie Salat, Communications and Policy Manager, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Canada, [email protected], 613-236-0569 x 207