Polypipe Building Services has appointed Sean Norris as Advantage Services Manager to drive the company’s focus on offsite prefabrication. Sean’s move across from his role as Product Manager within the Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation business follows a series of other senior appointments within Polypipe Building Services, as it increases
Dandara Living is pleased to welcome Sam Smith back to its senior leadership team, as Operations Director, with responsibility for the company’s current portfolio of almost 3,000 units under management. Sam joins following an extremely busy last 12 months for the business. This included the completion and launch of Dandara
Top 10 UK homebuilder Keepmoat, has announced the appointment of Neil Smith as Land and Partnerships Director for the West Midlands branch of the business. Neil’s appointment will see him work alongside the existing land team and oversee the delivery of a regional land pipeline, lead on development requirements with
Muse, the nationwide placemaker, has appointed Elliot Sellars as Project Director in the Midlands. Elliot brings over 20 years’ regeneration experience to Muse, having previously held senior roles at St Modwen Developments and Birmingham City University. With experience delivering nationally significant regeneration and working in partnership with the public and
After a long and successful career in the construction industry, and with more than 20 years at the helm of Clegg Construction as managing director, Simon Blackburn has announced his retirement. Michael Sims has stepped up to become MD from his previous role as commercial director, with Darren Chapman and
Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel brand which operates nearly 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, today announces it has promoted and appointed Kirsty Berry as the Company’s new Head of Estates. Kirsty joined Travelodge in 2022 as Regional Estates Manager and has been an integral member of
STARK Building Materials UK, one of the nation’s leading builders’ merchants providing building and construction materials and services to professional tradespeople, has appointed Nim Cassidy as its new Company Secretary and General Counsel. Cassidy brings nearly 25 years of experience in the legal field to the organisation, which is going through a
AtkinsRéalis, a global design, engineering and project management company, has bolstered its major programme leadership team with the appointment of Rob Ewen as Strategic Programme Director for UK and Europe. Rob brings a wealth of experience to the business from a career spanning 40 years in industry, and will drive
With a focus on strategic service development, RLB Partner Andrew Fettes-Brown has been appointed to RLB’s Global Board with effect from 1 January 2024. Andrew, who leads RLB’s data centres sector for Europe, will bring focus to RLB’s service transformation programme providing leadership, guidance and oversight in the development and
A2Dominion Group has announced the appointment of Tracey Barnes as its first Chief Finance Officer (CFO). The permanent new role will oversee all of the Group’s finance activities, treasury, business planning, procurement, governance, compliance, legal, communications, digital, corporate strategy, and the people team. The appointment is part of A2Dominion’s wider
Polypipe Building Services has appointed Sean Norris as Advantage Services Manager to drive the company’s focus on offsite prefabrication. Sean’s move across from his role as Product Manager within the Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation business follows a series of other senior appointments within Polypipe Building Services, as it increases its focus on providing sustainable solutions for customers. Having joined Polypipe in 2010 as a Business Development Representative, Sean brings with him extensive knowledge of the building services sector and strategic projects. In his new role he will oversee an ambitious growth plan for the company’s Advantage Service, which provides a bespoke fully fabricated drainage and supply systems solution for specifiers and contractors. Sean said: “Everyone is talking about the importance of offsite and modular construction which is our biggest challenge and the largest opportunity for us. “As a business we want to work more closely with developers and contractors to consider the challenges they face and how we can support – for example by implementing product development such as pre-insulating pipework to make installation easier. “Because we can offer bespoke fabrication in-house at Polypipe Building Services the opportunities are endless, with offsite fabrication frequently being chosen as a preferred construction method by hotel chains and pub groups. The challenge for us is to understand how we need to evolve our products and processes to meet their needs. “We’re aiming to expand the Advantage Service into next year and beyond, growing our 30-strong technical and fabrication teams. Additionally, I’ll be looking to simplify our processes to align with our customer’s needs.” Ian Crickmore, Technical Director of Polypipe Building Services, commented: “Sean is a very welcome addition to the Advantage team and will play a key role in shaping the direction of our prefabricated service. “Offsite construction will play a vital part within the construction sector as specifiers are being challenged to do more with less, while still delivering on quality and sustainability standards. “It’s also a more environmentally friendly option because it minimises waste, which ties into our commitment as part of the Genuit Group to become a sustainable, low-carbon business, and to deliver sustainable solutions.” For more information about all the latest products at Polypipe Building Services go to www.polypipe.com/commercial-building-services Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Dandara Living is pleased to welcome Sam Smith back to its senior leadership team, as Operations Director, with responsibility for the company’s current portfolio of almost 3,000 units under management. Sam joins following an extremely busy last 12 months for the business. This included the completion and launch of Dandara Living’s second Build to Rent development in Birmingham, and the forward sale and funding of the 391-unit Renshaw’s Yard development in Staines, to Greystar Real Estate Partners. The company, which has a growing portfolio of almost 8,000 home and student beds across the UK, also recently secured a five-year renewal instruction from ECE Real Estate Partners to continue to manage their BtR portfolio in the UK. Speaking about his appointment, Sam Smith said: “In spite of the challenging economic and regulatory environment, Dandara Living has ambitious plans for the future. “Having successfully launched a further development in Birmingham and secured the forward sale of Renshaw’s Yard to Greystar at a time when year-on-year transaction volumes were significantly lower, is further recognition of Dandara Living’s ability to attract major industry players and the confidence in our brand, quality and offering. This a very exciting time to be part of the team.” In addition to heading up Dandara Living Management, Sam will also work with Dandara Living’s business development unit to explore opportunities to expand the management arm of the company through offering services to other development partners. Jim Davies, CEO of Dandara Living, comments: “This is a pivotal time for the business as we continue to develop our pipeline and opportunities to further evolve our operational management platform and offering. Sam has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the sector, and I am very pleased to have him on board.” Dandara Living currently operates six BTR developments in the UK and has a further 17 sites in the pipeline. Its next development of 342 BTR units plus 5,597sqft of resident amenity at Granary Quay on the Clyde waterfront in Glasgow is now nearing completion. In addition, Stafford Yard, the company’s first development in Bristol comprising 295 apartments and 5,164sqft resident amenity, is set to complete later this year. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Top 10 UK homebuilder Keepmoat, has announced the appointment of Neil Smith as Land and Partnerships Director for the West Midlands branch of the business. Neil’s appointment will see him work alongside the existing land team and oversee the delivery of a regional land pipeline, lead on development requirements with a focus on partnerships, progress local opportunities, and support the team to achieve further organic growth across the Midlands. Neil brings 17 years of experience in all aspects of land acquisition to the homebuilder, including previous roles across affordable housing, development management, funding and consortium management – most recently working for developer Vistry Partnerships. In addition, Neil was previously a Head of New Business across all regions at Orbit Homes, a role which saw him supporting regional teams with land, large bulk deals, and external third party service contracts. Commenting on his appointment, Neil said: “I am thrilled to have been appointed by such a well-established, national homebuilder and I’m looking forward to working with the West Midlands team to continue building on the region’s track record and growing our land pipeline. “I am proud to be part of Keepmoat and I align with the overall values of the business. I’m really looking forward to getting involved and growing the division, whilst delivering good quality housing and utilising the best skills and resources from the public and private sectors.’’ Amanda Bishop, Regional Managing Director for Keepmoat’s West Midlands region, added: “I’m really pleased that Neil has joined the West Midlands team and I look forward to working with him to further strengthen our land pipeline and support the planned growth of our business. “Our West Midlands team is currently delivering 10 operational sites and has created 594 new homes in the last year. We specialise in developing brownfield land, most recently with West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), Homes England, and other partners, where we committed to building 4,000 future homes with net carbon zero emissions. I’m excited to see Neil push forward our goal to regenerate areas through our partnership model and drive relationships with landowners to create thriving, sustainable communities.” Keepmoat is a top 10 UK partnership homebuilder with a track record of delivering quality homes in regions across the UK. To date, Keepmoat has built over 35,000 homes, transforming brownfield sites into thriving new communities. Keepmoat has achieved five-star builder status in the National Home Builders Federation Award, receiving a rating of at least 90% in the National New Homes Customer Satisfaction Survey. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Muse, the nationwide placemaker, has appointed Elliot Sellars as Project Director in the Midlands. Elliot brings over 20 years’ regeneration experience to Muse, having previously held senior roles at St Modwen Developments and Birmingham City University. With experience delivering nationally significant regeneration and working in partnership with the public and private sector, Elliot will support the delivery of Muse’s regional pipeline. This includes the £3.2bn Arden Cross regeneration scheme, as well as City Centre West in Wolverhampton, and Mell Square in Solihull. Elliot’s appointment follows a quartet of new hires in Muse’s Midlands team at the end of 2023, along with a new Birmingham city centre office. Maggie Grogan, Managing Director at Muse – Midlands, said: “Elliot is an experienced and dedicated regeneration specialist who is set to play a key role supporting our pipeline and regional growth. Elliot understands the region and will help shape an important year for our business, in which we are focussed on delivery alongside our partners.” Elliot Sellars, Midlands Project Director at Muse, said: “I am delighted to be joining Muse and supporting the business’ growth in the Midlands. Muse has an exciting and ambitious portfolio which will be transformative for the region. I’m looking forward to working with the expert team, to create partnership led place-changing regeneration.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
After a long and successful career in the construction industry, and with more than 20 years at the helm of Clegg Construction as managing director, Simon Blackburn has announced his retirement. Michael Sims has stepped up to become MD from his previous role as commercial director, with Darren Chapman and Ross Crowcroft continuing in their roles as operations director and pre-construction director respectively. The change in leadership comes as Clegg Construction has secured its strongest carry-forward order book, with more than £82m secured turnover for 2024. Simon, who joined Clegg Construction in 2002, before becoming MD two years later, will remain as a group director until the end of May 2024 in support of the new generation of leadership which will take the business forward into 2024 and beyond. “Over the last 20 years I’ve been extremely proud to lead a business that has delivered in excess of 7,000 student beds, 1,500 apartments, 1,000 care home beds, 750 hotel bedrooms and more than one million square feet of industrial schemes,” he said. “Projects have included new builds, refurbishments, re-cladding & extensions, providing education facilities for primary, secondary, further, higher and vocational training, advanced manufacturing centres, research and development labs, offices, distribution, storage, libraries, leisure facilities, hotels, residential developments, community centres, places of worship, sports facilities, retail buildings, archives, courtrooms, the odd glulam replacement here and there, a raft ride, a cable-ski and even a crematorium. “I am pleased to be handing over the business with a record level of carry forward workload and I congratulate Michael on his new role as managing director and wish him, and the other directors, all the best for the future.” Michael Sims, who joined Clegg Construction in spring 2021, bringing to the business over 20 years of industry experience with key expertise in commercial and risk management and contract negotiation, paid tribute to his predecessor. “I am proud to have been appointed to follow in his footsteps and take up the reins as the new MD for a company that is so well regarded and has such a long history. “Alongside the other directors, I look forward to building on Simon Blackburn’s legacy and continuing to provide design and construction excellence to our clients across the country.” Clegg Construction is a Midlands, Yorkshire and East Anglia-based construction firm specialising in the delivery of public and private sector projects. Part of Clegg Group and the sister company to Clegg Food Projects, Clegg Construction has been trading since the 1930s. Its headquarters is in the Lace Market, Nottingham. For more information visit www.cleggconstruction.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel brand which operates nearly 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, today announces it has promoted and appointed Kirsty Berry as the Company’s new Head of Estates. Kirsty joined Travelodge in 2022 as Regional Estates Manager and has been an integral member of the UK Estates team since. With a background consisting of a vast range of property experience with a number of multi-site businesses including Domino’s UK and Majestic Wines, Kirsty has been crucially involved in various sublet deals and lease regears. This includes leading a unique sublet agreement for one of the UK’s first Popeyes Louisiana Chicken drive-thrus, at the Travelodge Northampton Way site, which the Group announced last year. Over the past year, a key strategic priority for the Property and Development function of the Travelodge business has been expanding the Estates team and its remit, due to the Company’s growing hotel portfolio and opportunities to improve its assets. The team is dedicated to supporting the hotels and the wider business with general estate matters and is also responsible for asset management, rent reviews, service charges, business rates, sublets, insurance, asset management, lease renewals and landlord approvals. Members of the Estates team are field-based so that they can make regular hotel visits, allowing full access to the Travelodge hotel portfolio and providing hands-on support for Travelodge’s hotel colleagues and its landlords. Reporting into the Chief Property and Development Officer, Kirsty will be overseeing all operations of the Estates function, made up of six team members, and is currently looking to expand the team further by the appointment of a Regional Estates Manager (South). For more details of this vacancy, please visit: https://www.travelodge.co.uk/careers/ Steve Bennett, Chief Property and Development Officer, Travelodge, comments: “We are delighted to be promoting Kirsty to the position of Head of Estates, as she has proven to be integral to the recent success of the Estates function. Kirsty’s industry expertise and experience represents a significant benefit to Travelodge as a business, and she has already played a crucial role in the growing and improving Estates Management team since joining in 2022.” Travelodge has a significant estate of nearly 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, with over 580 of these hotels located throughout the UK. In addition, the group has a large sublet estate, with over 150 subtenants. Furthermore, with over 200 Bar Cafes, Travelodge is also one of the largest Food & Beverage operators in the country. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
STARK Building Materials UK, one of the nation’s leading builders’ merchants providing building and construction materials and services to professional tradespeople, has appointed Nim Cassidy as its new Company Secretary and General Counsel. Cassidy brings nearly 25 years of experience in the legal field to the organisation, which is going through a transformational period following the merger acquisition by STARK Group, which completed in March 2023. She began her career as a Trainee Solicitor with Hammond Suddards Edge – now Squire Patton Boggs – in 1999, before moving to Addleshaw Goddard. Over the course of 10 years, she progressed to the role of Managing Associate before joining Elior UK – the UK subsidiary of French listed company Elior SA – as a Senior Solicitor. Six years later Cassidy was appointed as Group Legal Director at Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC, a FTSE250 specialist veterinary pharmaceuticals business, which she supported through several mergers and acquisitions until it entered the FTSE100. In 2022, she moved to JD Sports Fashion PLC, a FTSE50 retailer, as General Counsel and Company Secretary and a member of the executive team. There, she significantly grew the company’s legal and compliance division and improved the corporate governance structure during a period of transformational change. Now, as a member of the STARK Building Materials UK Executive Team, Cassidy will lead the organisation’s legal, compliance and secretarial function, supporting key stakeholders across the business brand portfolio that makes up the STARK UK family, including Jewson, Northern Ireland based merchant JP Corry, Jersey based merchant Normans and specialist brands such as Jewson Civils Frazer and Minster. Speaking about her new role, Cassidy said: “To be joining STARK Building Materials UK at such a landmark time for the organisation is a fantastic opportunity. My role is about supporting business growth and transformation and ensuring the business does everything it needs to remain compliant and a respected organisation. I’m also keen to look at the ways we can support new talent to enter the legal field – particularly women, ethnic minorities, and other under-represented members of society. “Construction brings with it its own set of opportunities and I’m looking forward to seeing how we tackle them. Under the leadership of John Carter – a household name in the field, and someone who’s put together a hand-picked executive team – we have an exciting journey ahead of us to inject new life into all the UK brands functioning under the STARK UK umbrella. We are all working closely together to achieve that shared goal, with a strong focus on inspiring and energising our people and making them extremely proud to be part of the STARK Group.” John Carter, CEO of STARK Building Materials UK, said: “Nim is a true asset to our organisation. Her experience speaks for itself, and we know the variety of roles and responsibilities she’s held previously will provide us with fresh perspectives and new ways of working that will position us firmly as leaders in our field. We’re delighted to have her on board and know our future will be brighter with her as part of our team.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
AtkinsRéalis, a global design, engineering and project management company, has bolstered its major programme leadership team with the appointment of Rob Ewen as Strategic Programme Director for UK and Europe. Rob brings a wealth of experience to the business from a career spanning 40 years in industry, and will drive forward opportunities to develop AtkinsRéalis’ project delivery capabilities further – complementing its global design and engineering expertise. Drawing on his experience leading on some of the biggest engineering and infrastructure projects in the world, including the delivery of THE LINE at NEOM, Rob will focus on projects and programmes across key markets including transportation, energy and defence, as well as large-scale public sector property programmes. Having worked on major programmes such as the 2012 Olympics, the UK New Hospital Programme and Heathrow Expansion, Rob brings a strong focus on the industrialisation of design and delivery models, and the consequent potential for performance improvement of this industry at every level. He is passionate about improvement through data-empowered change and innovation, having previously chaired the delivery group of i3P. James Butler, managing director of Project and Programme Services at AtkinsRéalis, said: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Rob Ewen into this important role, with the vast range of experience he brings with him. “We are already taking a lead in delivering on major national infrastructure projects such as Sizewell C and HS2, and in sectors including education and transportation, where we are deploying a range of project and programme management services and digital tools. By doing so we are able to ensure better outcomes and provide improved visibility, control and predictability. “Rob will help to provide a strategic focus to our programme, building on the great work we’ve seen from our teams in the past few years and ensuring our clients are able to benefit from greater use of data and technology.” Rob Ewen added: “This is an exciting time to join AtkinsRéalis with a real sense of unity and renewed purpose following the recent re-brand. “I’m looking forward to bringing my experience of working on nationally significant infrastructure projects and working in closer collaboration with delivery teams and supply chains to help realise AtkinsRéalis’ ambitious plans for global growth.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
With a focus on strategic service development, RLB Partner Andrew Fettes-Brown has been appointed to RLB’s Global Board with effect from 1 January 2024. Andrew, who leads RLB’s data centres sector for Europe, will bring focus to RLB’s service transformation programme providing leadership, guidance and oversight in the development and implementation of services worldwide across the key areas including sustainability and digital transformation. “To ensure we are providing the best solutions to our clients, we need to understand, embrace and integrate change in both the market and technology,” says Andrew Fettes-Brown. “Leading this work with colleagues from across the global practice will play a critical role in aligning our global service offerings with evolving market demands and technological advancements. I am excited to be leading this important work with my Global Board colleagues to drive the change our clients and industry needs to answer the questions of a modern property and construction industry into the future.” Russell Lloyd, current Global Board Director and RLB UK’s Head of Services, stepped down from the Global Board as of 31 December 2023. Russell, who has been part of the RLB team for over 30 years, will continue to work on key projects but will relinquish part of his senior management responsibilities. Andrew Reynolds, Global Chair for RLB and Chief Executive of RLB UK and Europe, comments, “First, I want to recognise the extraordinary insight, work and commitment Russell has given to RLB’s global team over the time he has served as a Global Board Director. His experience and expertise within the built environment and strategic ability to align services on a global platform have been invaluable to the business. Thank you, Russell. Second, I’d like to extend a welcome from all my Global Board colleagues to Andrew Fettes-Brown whose capability I know well in his work across the UK and Europe. Andrew will bring a fresh perspective and strong leadership to support the next stage of RLB’s global strategic service journey.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A2Dominion Group has announced the appointment of Tracey Barnes as its first Chief Finance Officer (CFO). The permanent new role will oversee all of the Group’s finance activities, treasury, business planning, procurement, governance, compliance, legal, communications, digital, corporate strategy, and the people team. The appointment is part of A2Dominion’s wider leadership changes, following the launch of its new Corporate Strategy earlier this year which focuses on customers and core services. It also signals the streamlining of its financial executive director roles, combining the positions of Executive Director of Finance & Strategy (held by Dean Tufts who retires early next year) and Executive Director of Central & Financial Services, which has been held by Tracey Barnes on a fixed-term basis since February 2023. Prior to joining A2Dominion, Tracey was Chief Finance Officer at Sovereign Housing Association and held a number of roles internationally at Diageo for over 20 years, including Chief Finance Officer of East African Breweries Ltd, Chief Finance Officer of Diageo Ireland and Managing Director of Diageo Business Services India. Tracey said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone at A2Dominion over the past few months, learning about what works and how things can be improved to totally transform the customer experience. I am delighted to have the opportunity to help to drive forward the changes that are needed.” Ian Wardle, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Tracey Barnes as our new Chief Finance Officer. The role attracted a significant number of high calibre applicants, and it is testament to Tracey, who came out on top following a rigorous recruitment process. “She brings a wealth of experience, and I look forward to continuing to work with her to deliver ambitious plans for customers.”
