Published Mon, Apr 25th 2016
North East civil engineering firm The Owen Pugh Group has bolstered its finance team with the appointment of a new Finance Director and a new Finance Manager.
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North East civil engineering firm The Owen Pugh Group has bolstered its finance team with the appointment of a new Finance Director and a new Finance Manager.
Richard Lowery, who boasts a 28 year career in finance, steps into the director role having undertaken an interim position for the North Tyneside headquartered firm for the past five months.
With a wealth of experience in a contracting environment in both oil and gas and construction, Richard worked most recently with companies including Soil Machine Dynamics, Cussins Homes and O’Brien Waste Recycling Solutions.
Richard will play a key role in taking forward Owen Pugh, which celebrates 70 years in business this year, into its next stage of growth by working with the board on the development of business strategy, monitoring and forecasting business performance, developing new systems and procedures and managing relationships with key funders.
Commenting on the appointment, he said: “I am thrilled to have been appointed to the permanent FD role at what is a very exciting time for Owen Pugh. It is undergoing significant structural changes that will ensure it is well-placed to capitalise on a wealth of opportunities across its full scope of civil engineering services. I will support the operational side of the business, to maintain clarity and transparency during the transition phase and beyond, and to ensure that tight financial control is maintained throughout.
“Owen Pugh operates in a challenging business environment and in order to succeed we need to pull together. I am greatly encouraged by my experience so far and I look forward to working with my colleagues across the Group to achieve our ambitions.”
Richard joins Geoff Brown, who recently joined the company as the Finance Manager for Owen Pugh Services, and Michelle Pope who assumed the role of Finance Manager for the Contracting Businesses a year ago.
Geoff has over 35 years’ experience in finance from a diverse range of organisations including advanced manufacturing, retail, travel, local authorities and the care sector. Previous employers include South Tyneside Council, TRW Automotive and Executive Care.
Geoff commented: “I am delighted to be working with Owen Pugh Group and I look forward to applying the benefit of the experiences I have gained elsewhere throughout my career. A key objective for me will be to lead and develop my team using a continuous improvement methodology which will allow us to provide the highest level of support to our business operations.”
Michelle has over 25 years’ experience in finance roles within a diverse range of sectors, including Contracting, Construction, Manufacturing, Housing, Local Authority and Education. Previous employers include Rolls Royce, Pharmacia Searle, Tarmac, South Tyneside Council, South Tyneside Homes, Homes for Northumberland, Engie (GDF Suez) and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
During the last six months Owen Pugh has secured work on a string of high-profile projects including a long term car park extension for Newcastle Airport; a biomass power station project near Cramlington; a range of housing developments for the likes of Gentoo, Miller, Story and Bellway; and major highway infrastructure schemes in North Tyneside on behalf of Capita and Kier.
The scope of work delivered by Owen Pugh ranges from road and bridge construction, ports, harbours and sea defences, industrial facilities and office parks to urban renewal and environmental improvements, land reclamation, remediation and environmentally sensitive schemes. The company, which employs 420 staff across its business, operates from five sites in Dudley, Cramlington, Blaydon, Middlesbrough, and Marsden Quarry in South Tyneside.
