Spencer Group has appointed a Managing Director for its rail division, experienced and highly respected industry professional Mike Halliday.

Mike joins the multi-disciplinary engineering specialist from Network Rail, where he has served as a route delivery director for the last six years.

In his new role, he will drive Spencer Group’s rail division forward as it delivers transformative projects across the UK.

Reflecting on his appointment, Mike said: “I’m delighted to be joining Spencer Group, which has a reputation for innovation and engineering excellence. I’ve spent the last six years with Network Rail, developing supply chain strategy and delivering projects – and will draw on this experience to grow and align Spencer’s rail division.

“My focus will be on the upfront development side of the business, and on realising the full potential of its internal design capabilities. I’m committed to ensuring that we truly align with and understand our clients, avoiding change and unnecessary delays in delivery.

Mike added: “I’ve spent most of my career as a contractor – but, after joining Network Rail, I gained invaluable client-side experience. Six years later, I’m confident that I understand the organisation’s requirements – and the needs of other rail clients. I began my rail career with Spencer Group and know that meeting these needs is in its DNA. Now, I’m really looking forward to shaping and building our rail offering with the help of my team.”

With 27 years of industry experience, qualified engineer Mike is well-equipped to lead Spencer Group’s rail division – a business he first joined in 1996. Over the course of 11 years, he helped to grow it into a Tier 1 contractor and was made a main board director.

During this time, Mike drew heavily on the skills he had acquired as an engineer on complex heavy civil engineering projects.

Helping to deliver highways and bridges, he also developed a solution-driven style and straight-talking approach.

After leaving Spencer Group in 2007, Mike became a private consultant – and was later offered the role of rail director at Story Engineering. By 2015, the business had become a well-established Tier 1 contractor and increased its turnover by 300 per cent.

During Mike’s tenure, it was also named Supplier of the Year by Network Rail.

He joined Network Rail in 2017, after a stint as infrastructure division lead at Wood Group. Serving as a route delivery director for the UK’s infrastructure owner and manager, Mike was responsible for the safe and efficient delivery of major projects.

Commenting on Mike’s appointment, Spencer Group Managing Director Gary Thornton said:

“I’m thrilled to welcome Mike to Spencer Group as our Managing Director of rail and to help drive forward our ambitions in the sector. Mike brings with him decades of valuable experience both contractor and client-side working for Network Rail and in his previous experience with Spencer Group.

“Mike’s strong engineering background places him ideally to lead our team and build on our already fantastic reputation for project delivery in the rail industry.”

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