Independent construction, property and management consultant, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) has appointed ex-Amazon logistics industry specialist, Duncan Robertson, as a Commercial Partner to head up the firm’s Industrial Sector in the North. Duncan has over 25 years’ experience in the logistics sector. He has worked for a range of companies
Research has shown that more than 80% of workers in the construction industry feel that Brexit will have a damaging impact on the UK’s industry and could stop high-profile government infrastructure projects being completed. A new study carried out by Researchers at Birmingham City University has been looking into the
Eight electricians from Dundee have managed to secure new jobs due to ongoing work being carried out at the V&A Museum of Design in Dundee. The new jobs are great news as the eight new employees had recently been made redundant from a local mechanical and electrical company, Scottish Electrical
The RG Carter Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Nigel Keen as a non-executive director to the R G Carter Construction Board. Nigel brings with him considerable experience and strong strategic planning skills and joins us from his previous role as Group Property Services Director within the John
Jodie Pope accepted the Technical Assistant role for Bewley Homes. Bewley Homes is a developer that is based in Berkshire. Following her appointment as Technical Assistant, Jodie has undergone a development all her own, as she displayed hard work and dedication in order to overcome all challenges she has faced
The leading chartered surveyors and estate agents, Flick & Son have recently appointed Paul Gray as their Managing Director. This appointment has been made by the business in order to expand their residential sales, lettings and management activities. Flick & Son is known for being one of the longest established
Sweco, the engineering environment and design consultants have recently appointed David Leversha as the Structural Director for their UK buildings division. This new appointment has been made as Sweco continues to focus on growth in their structural design and multi-discipline engineering consultancy market. David Leversha is joining Sweco after working
Unispace has appointed Sam Sahni as Principal for Strategy based in its London studio, with a view to overseeing the European development of its strategy offering. Highly experienced within the consulting and construction industry, Sam has comprehensive experience and knowledge of a knowledge variety of sectors including Finance, FMCG, Real
A Norfolk student has told of her excitement ahead of starting a two-year scholarship sponsored by the East Anglia’s leading independent construction company, R G Carter. Lucie Gresham – Hill, 16, will gain invaluable skills and knowledge in the engineering and construction industry after winning an award from the Arkwright
Bruton Knowles, the national property consultancy company has been established for more than 150 years. The company has 13 different offices around the UK including Manchester, London, Gloucester, Bristol, Leeds, Shrewsbury and Cardiff. The company’s Nottingham-based property consultant, Sam Spencer has been appointed to the President’s Panel of the Royal
Independent construction, property and management consultant, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) has appointed ex-Amazon logistics industry specialist, Duncan Robertson, as a Commercial Partner to head up the firm’s Industrial Sector in the North. Duncan has over 25 years’ experience in the logistics sector. He has worked for a range of companies both in the UK and internationally including: Tesco, Sainsbury and Ashton Smith Associates. Most recently he was EU Standards and Programme Manager for Amazon EU where he was responsible for developing standard designs, process and cost for the various Amazon Fulfilment Centres and Logistic Centres across Europe. “The Logistics and Industrial sectors are growing markets for RLB and ones where RLB’s expertise of project management, programme management and cost consultancy have real impact and help manage efficiencies. I am delighted to be joining the team in Manchester at such an exciting time,” says Robertson. Dean Sheehy, Director at RLB, added: “We are very pleased to welcome Duncan to RLB. His extensive experience and knowledge of the logistics market will be a great addition both to our business and our customers across the UK.” RLB is currently working with a range of industrial/ logistics customers including: IM Properties, Verdion, iPort Doncaster, SEGRO, Harworth Estates, Royal Mail, Morrisons, M&S, Amazon and Lidl.
Research has shown that more than 80% of workers in the construction industry feel that Brexit will have a damaging impact on the UK’s industry and could stop high-profile government infrastructure projects being completed. A new study carried out by Researchers at Birmingham City University has been looking into the views of those working in the construction industry to gage whether they believe that jobs, projects and the industry as a whole will be affected by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. The study has shown that 88% of the workers felt that the UK relied upon the EU as a source of skilled labour. 82% felt that by leaving the EU, there would be a collapse of a number of infrastructure projects. Because of the demand for skilled workers in the industry, and the reliance upon the EU to supply the workers to meet the UK’s needs, 86% of the workers spoken to as a part of this survey said that a rise in the demand for skilled workers is expected. In line with these responses, 92% of construction workers thought that the freedom of movement would be beneficial to the construction industry in the UK. These responses have been collected from more than 50 businesses in the industry who gave feedback for the research project. One of the respondents in the research said that Brexit will make the current skills crisis significantly more intense and could then have a knock on effect on the costs of labour and therefore the costs of projects. The research carried out by the team at Birmingham City University is titled ‘Brexit: measuring the impact upon skilled labour in the UK construction industry’. The research as first formed as a part of a final year Honours Research Project (Dissertation). Since being finished, the research has been published in a leading scientific peer-reviewed research journal, the International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation. The research looks into a topical and historically unprecedented situation that is, at the moment looming over the UK construction industry. The paper also includes a number of recommendations to ease the strain on the number of skilled workers. These suggestions include retaining the free movement of workers by remaining in the European Economic Area, keeping current workers in the industry by offering increased wages and guaranteed overtime as well as reducing the physical exertion needed with the increased use of technology.
Eight electricians from Dundee have managed to secure new jobs due to ongoing work being carried out at the V&A Museum of Design in Dundee. The new jobs are great news as the eight new employees had recently been made redundant from a local mechanical and electrical company, Scottish Electrical Group. BAM Construction are building the V&A Dundee and were contacted by the Partnership Action for Continued Employment Partnership, or PACE, who were working to help the tradesmen. The three qualified electricians and five apprentices were made redundant when Scottish Electrical Group ceased trading in August. Now, the group have started working on the Dundee site and have already secured permanent contracts with one of BAM’s subcontractors, FES. Their new employer is known for being one of the leading mechanical and electrical installation companies in Scotland. It is great news that the ongoing construction work in Dundee has allowed these people to find more work. The V&A Dundee will deliver a long term boost to the city’s economy and the construction work involved has benefitted the firms involved. It is really encouraging to see the industry pull together like this in order to find work for the unfortunate former employees of Scottish Electrical Group. On top of this it is positive news for the construction of the V&A Museum of Design Dundee has managed to have more local people working to build the new museum. The V&A Dundee is expected to open in 2018 and will be the only V&A museum found anywhere in the world outside London. The new cultural attraction will also be Scotland’s first ever dedicated design museum and will be an international centre for design when open as well as a space for inspiration, discovery and learning for those who visit. The construction of the museum has been valued at over £80 million and will form part of Dundee’s ambitions plans for a £1 billion waterfront regeneration in the city.
The RG Carter Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Nigel Keen as a non-executive director to the R G Carter Construction Board. Nigel brings with him considerable experience and strong strategic planning skills and joins us from his previous role as Group Property Services Director within the John Lewis Partnership, where he has been a member of the Waitrose Board for 15 years. Nigel began his career as a Quantity Surveyor in private practice. He later moved to Tesco plc, and as Construction Director with Tesco he gained a wealth of experience across all property disciplines including legal, acquisition, maintenance and asset management. Nigel has held non-executive positions at organisations such as Bovis Homes, Greenwich Architecture and Construction Board and the charitable trust, Trustee Sported. Mr Robert Carter, Chairman of the RG Carter Group said: “We are delighted to welcome Nigel to the Board of R G Carter Construction. His appointment is part of the ongoing implementation of our plan for ensuring business continuity in the coming years, and his wide-ranging experience will be extremely valuable to our development as a firm.” For more information on R G Carter visit www.rgcarter-construction.co.uk. Construction, Civil Engineering and Project Management Services The R G Carter Group, founded in 1921, is a family owned business with a proud ninety year history, achieving growth and success by combining strong traditional values with an innovative and forward thinking approach. Servicing our national and regional clients from a network of offices based throughout the Central and Eastern regions of the United Kingdom, we provide design, sustainable, partnered construction and project management services for private and public sector clients on projects ranging from £50 to over £50 million. Our strong traditional values are based upon honesty, trust and the development of long term relationships. We place client values at the heart of our operations, nurturing strategic partnerships with key clients through prudent financial management, open communication and a one team approach. Through the continual development of modern techniques and innovative approaches to successful project delivery, we provide services that exceed our clients’ expectations. Our approach makes us an industry leading contractor with repeat business clients who trust and respect us for the values and commitment we bring to their business. We always work collaboratively to create success for our clients, our staff and our suppliers. Our developments, designs and construction are sympathetic to the communities within which we operate and embrace the principles of sustainable construction.
Jodie Pope accepted the Technical Assistant role for Bewley Homes. Bewley Homes is a developer that is based in Berkshire. Following her appointment as Technical Assistant, Jodie has undergone a development all her own, as she displayed hard work and dedication in order to overcome all challenges she has faced in the past year. Working as an Assistant to the Technical Team, Jodie had a wide range of different responsibilities to carry out. Jodie has been involved with the implementation of new developments and has seen projects through from inception to completed and sold. Part of her role has found Jodie managing a range of different tasks at once, as part of a roe that has offered diversity and pace. Bewley Homes has been working to support Jodie throughout her first year as she develops her knowledge base. The experienced team working at Bewley Homes have been on hand throughout in order to support and mentor Jodie throughout the initial steep learning curve and as she takes on different tasks and challenges as a part of her role as Technical Assistant. The hard work that Jodie has put in since she started has paid off, as she has been promoted to Technical Co-ordinator. In this new role Jodie has been given full responsibility of the management of two dedicated Bewley Homes projects as well as working to assist with any requirements that have come from the commercial, sales and construction teams. Next, Jodie is about to begin her Masters in Construction Management at the University of Reading. While Studying, Bewley Homes is supporting Jodie, allowing her to study part time. Bewley Homes have published Jodie’s story in order to demonstrate to other young people who are wanting to begin a career in the construction industry how to work hard and succeed. Highlighting Jodie’s story in particular shows the rapid progression of a woman in this industry, which will hopefully be a positive example for other young women considering this area for a career.
The leading chartered surveyors and estate agents, Flick & Son have recently appointed Paul Gray as their Managing Director. This appointment has been made by the business in order to expand their residential sales, lettings and management activities. Flick & Son is known for being one of the longest established independent estate agents in Suffolk. The company has their roots in Saxmundham and as far back as 1833. The company has expanded and opened new offices in Aldeburgh and Leiston in 1900 with more recent expansion into Southwold and Halesworth. Paul Gray has gained more than 20 years of experience from working in the industry and has spent the last five years working as a Director at Ludlow Thompson, known for being one of the most respected and successful independent estate agents in London. Paul has said that he was drawn to Suffolk by the beautiful coastline, the inland towns and villages and the mixture of modern and period property around the region that is available to purchasers. Paul accepted the move to Flick & Son as the company is a widely respected brand that Paul can make his mark on and help to grow their market. Paul wants to consistently proving the benefits of dealing with a team of staff in a number of high street offices that are dedicated to delivering great customer service. Moving house is well known for being one of the biggest and most stressful life challenges and it is vital for Flick & Son to develop their excellent reputation for personal service to help their clients and make the whole process slightly easier. Paul’s experience will be an asset to the company and he will, no doubt, ensure that his team continue to deliver first-class customer service to their clients and uphold the ethos of the company in his new role as Managing Director.
Sweco, the engineering environment and design consultants have recently appointed David Leversha as the Structural Director for their UK buildings division. This new appointment has been made as Sweco continues to focus on growth in their structural design and multi-discipline engineering consultancy market. David Leversha is joining Sweco after working for BuroHappold. David will bring 21 years of experience working in the industry to his new role at the engineering consultancy. As part of this experience, David has been the leader of a number of multi-disciplinary teams that have worked on high profile projects across the UK. These projects worked on by Davis Leversha and his teams include the Lowry Centre located in Salford and Manchester 2 St. Peter’s Square office development. As part of his new role at Sweco, David will be joining the 30-strong team of structural engineers in order to improve the company’s pipeline of more high-end and architecturally-led work taking place throughout the UK. David will be a valuable addition to their integrated engineering, planning and consultancy capability which will then complement Sweco’s strong track record for delivering building services in the public and private sector. David will be an asset to the team in his new role as Structural Director for the company’s UK buildings division. The news of David Leversha’s appointment has been made after Sweco’s appointment to two of the Crown Commercial Service flagship consultancy framework. This framework has been designed to support the government as they deliver £163 billion worth of construction projects that have been planned as a part of the Government Construction Strategy which is expected to take place between 2016 and 2020. Sweco offers advice and consults on a range of major projects from their network of offices. Recently the company has been a part of One Nine Elms on London’s South Bank as well as Bloomberg’s new European headquarters
Unispace has appointed Sam Sahni as Principal for Strategy based in its London studio, with a view to overseeing the European development of its strategy offering. Highly experienced within the consulting and construction industry, Sam has comprehensive experience and knowledge of a knowledge variety of sectors including Finance, FMCG, Real Estate and Engineering. He joins Unispace from Morgan Lovell, where he was Head of Consultancy for more than 3.5 years, working for clients such as Costa Coffee, Superdrug, Prudential, Aviva, and Kleinwort Benson. Anthony Hazell, Managing Director, Europe at Unispace, said: “Sam is a dynamic leader. He has the ability to build business, develop client bases and take accountability for complex projects. A thought leader among his peers, Sam has also been an author of organisational white papers and has presented at a number of industry conferences. He is a great addition to the Unispace team in London and will expand our provision of strategy services across Unispace’s European base. .” As the author and speaker at industry conferences, he has featured as an industry expert in The Times, The Telegraph, Evening Standard & Financial Times amongst many other publications. “The market has changed a great deal in recent years, with very different occupier demand evolving in the market place. Unispace has developed in response to this new market and the brand’s growth in a short period of time is testament to its resonance with clients.” explained Sam Sahni, Principal, Strategy at Unispace. “This new role in the London studio is a chance to combine my experience across multiple sectors for Unispace’s client base and work with its world class European and Global teams.”
A Norfolk student has told of her excitement ahead of starting a two-year scholarship sponsored by the East Anglia’s leading independent construction company, R G Carter. Lucie Gresham – Hill, 16, will gain invaluable skills and knowledge in the engineering and construction industry after winning an award from the Arkwright Scholarship Trust. R G Carter will provide financial assistance, mentoring, guidance and work experience placements for Lucie whilst she continues her sixth form studies at University Technical College Norfolk. Lucie, says: “I look forward to finding my place in engineering whilst learning and interacting with people from across the business. I have always had an interest working in the construction industry and I hope this experience will help progress my career in the future.” Mario Rackham, Operations Director at R G Carter Drayton, says: “As a company, we are dedicated to inspiring the next generation of engineers. We take the responsibility of providing pathways into the industry very seriously which is why we are delighted to support Lucie with this fantastic opportunity.” Alex Hayes, Principal, UTC Norfolk, says: “I’d like to thank R G Carter for their support. It is invaluable for any young person to be able to engage like this with an employer and we regularly see the benefits of this from the year-round work that students at UTC Norfolk do with our employer partners. It is a fantastic achievement by Lucie to have achieved this highly competitive scholarship from the Arkwright Scholarships Trust, and to now have this excellent package of bespoke mentoring and support from R G Carter.” The Arkwright Scholarship Trust works with employers to inspire and nurture school-age students to become future leaders of the engineering profession. To win the scholarship, Lucie completed a detailed application and two-hour aptitude exam. Lucie was shortlisted for interview at the University of Cambridge, where she had to present a practical project. For more information about the Arkwright Scholarships Trust visit www.arkwright.org.uk and for more information on R G Carter visitwww.rgcarter-construction.co.uk.
Bruton Knowles, the national property consultancy company has been established for more than 150 years. The company has 13 different offices around the UK including Manchester, London, Gloucester, Bristol, Leeds, Shrewsbury and Cardiff. The company’s Nottingham-based property consultant, Sam Spencer has been appointed to the President’s Panel of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, or RICS. The RICS President’s Panel has appointed Sam Spencer, who will ow be working with the other members of the panel in order to offer resolutions for land and property industry disputes. It is a great achievement for Sam to be appointed to this panel, and Sam will be able to offer the expertise that he has developed over the course of his career. Sam Spencer is a Bruton Knowles expert who has specialist knowledge in sales, acquisitions, management agreements and business and property valuations. Sam also has experience as a Chartered Surveyor and Registered Valuer. On top of this already impressive CV, Sam also has over 20 years of experience working in the hospitality, leisure and healthcare property sectors. The appointment to RICS President’s Panel is a coveted opportunity and illustrates the hard work and experience that has been gained by Sam Spencer. Bruton Knowles will also benefit from this appointment has they will have one of the most highly regarded specialists in the industry as a member of their team. Sam has a vast knowledge of the commercial and investment sector as well as having specialist knowledge of alternative-use developments. This knowledge will be an asset to the President’s Panel and will help to support and inform decisions made during litigation and other judicial proceedings. The appointment has come after a comprehensive interview process which allowed him to demonstrate his market knowledge, which is of a high quality and will be essential as a part of the Dispute Resolution Service on the RICS panel.
