People Moves

TopHat managing director Andrew Shepherd is to leave the troubled modular housebuilder, it has emerged. The former Laing O’Rourke chief posted on professional networking site LinkedIn that he would be “moving on to a new challenge”. TopHat announced in February that it was consulting on up to 70 job cuts,…

Mark Reynolds is stepping down as chief executive of Mace after more than 12 years at the helm, amid a massive governance shake-up at the tier one contractor. Reynolds, co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), joined the firm as chief executive in 2012 after serving as programme director for…

Galliford Try has appointed a former HS2 chief as its first divisional managing director for infrastructure. David Lowery, who joined Galliford Try three years ago after heading an HS2 joint venture, will take up the position on 1 July. Lowery will be responsible for the firm’s environment division, which is…

Mechanical and electrical (M&E) contractor Enerveo has announced the departure of its chief executive. The firm was bought back from private equity company Aurelius by former parent company SSE in late March. Zak Houlahan, who was appointed by Aurelius in 2021, has been replaced by the company’s chief financial officer…

Alan Mak has been formally appointed as construction minister, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has told Construction News. The MP for Havant succeeds Nusrat Ghani, who left the role on 26 March, after 16 months in post. Mak becomes the 25th holder of the construction portfolio this century, and…

Mace has appointed a new head of civil and structural engineering. Martin Feakes served as UK market director for buildings and as head of buildings London during 18 years in two spells with structural engineering firm Ramboll. In between, he worked as group director at Buro Happold, acting as commercial…

Watkin Jones has replaced its chief financial officer (CFO) with a finance executive from the property sector. Sarah Sergeant is stepping down after two and a half years in the role, the firm announced today, and will be replaced by Simon Jones, formerly CFO at Watford-based property firm Mapeley Estates Limited.…

Both client-side bodies running the programme to repair the Palace of Westminster are losing their chief executives simultaneously, Construction News has learnt. David Goldstone, chief executive of the UK Parliament Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Delivery Authority, submitted his resignation at the end of March, although a leaving date has not…

The head of procurement at National Highways is to stand down after five years. Malcolm Dare will leave the roads agency, known as Highways England when he joined at the start of 2019, for a new job elsewhere. Among his responsibilities, Dare oversaw the body’s £8.7bn Regional Delivery Partnership framework…

East West Railway Company interim chief executive Beth West is to stand down at the end of May after her contract expires. West (pictured), a former HS2 commercial director and Balfour Beatty regional managing director, joined the client delivering the East West Rail (EWR) Oxford-to-Cambridge railway project in 2022. West…