30-year construction industry leader to oversee billions of pounds in AI data centre, renewable energy, and commercial developments across Scotland.
HFD Construction, the dedicated construction and delivery arm of HFD, today announces the appointment of Martin Smith as its new Managing Director, effective immediately.
Mr. Smith joins HFD Construction at a transformational time for the business, as the company executes HFD Group’s ambitious pipeline of next-generation developments across central Scotland, with billions of pounds worth of construction scheduled in the coming years.
Martin Smith brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across the UK and Europe in the construction industry, with a career spanning hyperscale data centres, large-scale infrastructure, and high-profile commercial developments.
Most recently, Martin served as Group Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles at ISG plc, Interserve, Robertson Group, and Miller Construction, where he managed major projects with values exceeding £650 million.
At ISG, Martin directed the successful delivery of several hyperscale projects for global technology clients, including Google’s €450 million, 60MW data centre in Belgium. His portfolio also includes complex developments such as the Amazon logistics hubs, and film studio and semiconductor facilities across the UK and Europe.
His experience extends to a wide range of sectors, including education, healthcare, hospitality, and sustainable office developments, where his leadership has consistently focused on delivering high-quality projects via innovation, operational excellence and stakeholder collaboration.
Martin holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) and an LLM in Construction Law from the University of Strathclyde and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building. His career is distinguished by a strong operational foundation, strategic leadership, and a deep commitment to health, safety, and sustainability.
Under Martin Smith’s leadership, HFD Construction will manage the build-out of a diverse and ambitious portfolio of projects, including the construction of hundreds of megawatts of cutting-edge AI-ready data centres for DataVita, HFD’s data centre division, the development of private-wire microgrids integrating renewable energy generation and storage for sustainable power delivery, the creation of industry-leading city-centre office developments, including premium flexible workspace for Ospa – HFD’s serviced office division and the development of current and proposed upper scale hotels across the region.
William Hill, CEO of HFD Group, commented:
“Martin joins at an exciting time for the business, with billions of pounds worth of construction scheduled across central Scotland in the coming years. His leadership will be crucial as we deliver on these ambitious projects.”
Martin Smith, Managing Director of HFD Construction, said:
“Joining HFD Construction at this pivotal moment is an exciting challenge. My career has been focused on leading complex, large-scale developments, including critical hyperscale data centre infrastructure across Europe. I look forward to leveraging that 30 years of experience, alongside the talented HFD Construction team, to successfully deliver the Group’s ambitious pipeline of next-generation projects, including vital AI and renewable energy sectors and market leading office and commercial developments.”
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