Interviews

Read interviews with leading figures from the UK construction industry.

Tilbury Douglas boss on how the firm will be ‘sticking to its knitting’

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Paul Gandy, chief executive of Tilbury Douglas, exclusively tells Colin Marrs that his firm is back on track after the turbulence surrounding its time as part of Interserve Group Paul Gandy relishes a challenge. Three years ago he became managing director at Interserve Construction, the contracting arm of Interserve Group,…

Costain boss: ‘UK needs infrastructure secretary’

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The government should appoint an infrastructure secretary to ensure stronger leadership on nationally significant projects across the UK, Costain’s chief executive has suggested. Speaking to Construction News, Alex Vaughan said a dedicated senior minister in the role would help to “join up” different government departments working on large-scale schemes. Vaughan…

Mark Reynolds on leading the CLC and preventing insolvencies

Mace CEO Mark Reynolds

Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds may be the new face of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), but he is no stranger to the work of the group. He has been involved in the council since 2017, when he was chosen to head up the CLC's skills workstream. Reynolds' new role…

Reinvention pays off for Merit MD Tony Wells

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Offsite specialist Merit is concentrating on delivering high-tech buildings and medical facilities, as MD Tony Wells explains to Adam Branson

Interview: chief inspector of buildings on the new Building Safety Act

Chief inspector of buildings Peter Baker

“This is just the start,” says Peter Baker, chief inspector of buildings at the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), on the Building Safety Act’s recent Royal Assent. “The act is very complex and very comprehensive,” he explains. “But it is primarily an enabling piece of legislation […] It will have…

Procore CEO: how today’s tech can make jobs easier for contractors

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Construction’s relatively slow uptake of digital technology has been a chicken and egg problem, says Tooey Courtemanche, founder and chief executive of contech specialist Procore. Lem Bingley listens

‘Industry-wise, Covid has been brilliant’: Seddon MD hails pace of change

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Construction has been crying out for change for years, Seddon managing director Jonathan Seddon tells Construction News, as he tucks into his customary pilchard sandwich. Between bites and light jokes from his sister – the firm's director of business services, Nicola Hodkinson – he says, rather proudly, that he has…

The woman who built diversity into Network Rail’s culture

Loraine Martins, Network Rail head of diversity and inclusion

Loraine Martins, director of diversity and inclusion at one of the industry’s biggest clients, has spent more than a decade turning round the rail body's reputation on inclusivity. As she prepares to leave Network Rail, she tells Ian Weinfass about the progress she’s made and why there’s still a lot…

New frontier: inside McLaren’s five-year data plan

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For McLaren, the future of construction is tied to the effective use of data – and the business intends to gather as much information as it can, while retraining staff and recruiting external experts. Ian Weinfass gets an exclusive insight into its new digital strategy