When Kim Sides arrived at Bam UK & Ireland as executive director of construction in April last year, she joined a business in need of change following a loss-making 2023.<\/p>\n
Now, more than a year into the role, she is guiding Bam through a strategy focused not on volume and turnover but on sustainable, long-term value built on trusted relationships. Her ethos is clear. \u201cIt\u2019s not what we do, it\u2019s with whom,\u201d she tells Construction News<\/em>.<\/p>\n But Sides didn\u2019t grow up dreaming of cranes and concrete. \u201cI didn\u2019t really know what I wanted to do for a career… it was just \u2018go to university\u2019\u2026 an opportunity that allowed you to have lots of choices.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve come in as a change agent because there\u2019s been challenges in the business. We kind of lost our way about risk management \u2013 so we\u2019re addressing that\u201d<\/p>\n After studying business and law, Sides became a partner at Australian law firm Mallesons Stephen Jacques, advising infrastructure and aviation clients. She was intimately involved in the Australian stock market flotation of Multiplex in 2023, on secondment to the contractor as acting general counsel (see box, below). This sparked her move into business, where she embraced wide-ranging responsibilities from accountancy to dealing with unions and regulators. \u201cAll of that stakeholder management\u2026 Having established a footing in business at Multiplex, her career has since spanned Malaysia and the UK, including senior roles at contractors Lendlease and Laing O\u2019Rourke, plus a part-time role with battery tech firm Gelion in Australia and a four-year stint with recycling startup Mura.<\/p>\n Asked to describe differences between UK and Australian construction, Sides cites a smaller talent pool Down Under, which encourages a \u201cjungle gym\u201d approach to careers. \u201cIt\u2019s quite common for people to move across sectors or departments… there\u2019s a lot we in the UK can learn from that.\u201d<\/p>\n She adds: \u201cFor employees, it offers more diverse experience; for employers, it widens the talent pool and helps teams gel and manage a broader variety of risks. That team dynamic is everything. I was fortunate to work with an outstanding commercial director who gave me advice that has stuck with me: \u2018Kim, you can\u2019t make them care and you can\u2019t make them try. So hire for that [role you need them for], you can teach them the rest\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n She took the helm at Bam shortly before it emerged that ductwork issues had delayed the opening of the Bam-built Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, causing project costs to rise beyond the original \u00a3365m. Sides sidesteps the connection between Co-op Live and Bam\u2019s broader business challenges, insisting the venue\u2019s problems belong in the past and saying the client \u201cvalues the quality we have delivered\u201d.<\/p>\n However, Sides she says will try to apply her varied career experience to ensure Bam is making more confident decisions on assessing project risk. \u201cI\u2019ve come in as a change agent because there\u2019s been challenges in the business,\u201d she says. \u201cWe kind of lost our way about risk management – so we\u2019re addressing that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe intentionally pulled back revenue because we wanted to go to quality. So it\u2019s not about \u2018I\u2019ve got to find revenue\u2019. We\u2019ve taken that language right out\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n One of her main policies has been to shift the company\u2019s focus from chasing standalone projects to nurturing key client relationships. \u201cThe whole point about a key client strategy is that we want to work with people that see the world the same way,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re playing with their money. It\u2019s a great privilege to do so, but also a terrible responsibility\u2026 You\u2019ve got to be aligned with the client and understand where they are on sustainability, procurement, how they want to make money.\u201d<\/p>\n Under Sides\u2019 leadership, Bam is also trying to steer clear of single-stage tenders as these often come with an added \u201cfuss premium\u201d from unforeseen problems, adding time spent \u201csending notices back and forth with the client\u201d. Instead, she sees the benefit of preconstruction services agreements [PCSAs] lasting at least 12 months. \u201cIn some circumstances, these will get extended, as with a couple of our major commercial refit clients in London. But when you get to the main contract, you\u2019ve avoided a lot of the fuss by solving the problems at the PCSA stage.\u201d<\/p>\n Sides also hopes to help foster a wider change in attitude throughout the construction sector, from clients to contractors. \u201cTo ensure a sustainable future for the industry, it is essential that we rethink how risk is allocated,\u201d she says. \u201cThe worst answer is that some risk allocation is set and unchangeable because \u2018that\u2019s the market\u2019 or \u2018that\u2019s what we always get from other contractors\u2019- that risk may not be the \u201cA more nuanced approach to risk-sharing between building owners, clients, contractors and developers is critical to protect the supply chain.\u201d Here, she adds, Bam\u2019s strategy to work with key clients \u201cwho share the same values as us\u201d would help to address supply-chain uncertainties.<\/p>\n In 2023, Bam\u2019s UK construction business slipped from a \u00a314.6m profit to a \u00a331.4m loss. While that might have prompted a knee-jerk response at other contractors, Sides has sought to move Bam\u2019s approach to tendering away from a transactional emphasis on winning jobs to something more nuanced that she believes will deliver long-term benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not the classic, dictionary-definition UK tier one construction company executive director. But my skills are directly applicable\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about the business being sustainable but also being entirely consistent and predictable. It\u2019s great to bid on a job and get a good price, but we want key clients that we understand. We want to work not just with our tier one [clients], but also our very strong local supply chain, who understand where we\u2019re coming from.<\/p>\n \u201cWe work repeatedly with particular subcontractors whom we trust, and who trust us to provide a reliable pipeline. We regularly review their capability, financial stability, sustainability and inclusion expertise, among other things, so they are ready to deliver with us for the longer term.\u201d<\/p>\n She stresses the dangers of chasing short-term turnover. \u201cI would be concerned if things turned around too quickly. It probably means you\u2019re making really bold choices to just try and move a number. We intentionally pulled back revenue because we wanted to go to quality. So it\u2019s not about \u2018I\u2019ve got to find revenue\u2019. We\u2019ve taken that language right out.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, Sides wants Bam to evolve into a business that grows through repeatable, trusted client relationships based on a shared commitment to quality. \u201cEven if somebody offered me a one-off job that I think physically we could build\u2026 if it\u2019s offering a really big profit, there may be risk in there that they [the client] thinks you\u2019re not going to notice. Those one-offs are not really where we want to be. We want repeat business \u2013 it\u2019s predictable, reliable and we understand what we\u2019re doing with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sides insists this strategy is starting to pay off \u2013 an opinion borne out by Bam\u2019s latest annual results. While its UK construction activities saw a 13 per cent drop in turnover to \u00a3778.9m for the year ended 31 December 2024, the pre-tax loss narrowed to \u00a39.1m.<\/p>\n The value of construction forward orders rose by 45 per cent to \u00a3878.5m and Bam has a \u00a34bn project pipeline. \u201cSo we\u2019re well positioned to deliver a solid and predictable performance in 2025 and beyond,\u201d says Sides.<\/p>\n Jobs won by Bam this year include a \u00a3100m green refurb of the 34-storey Broadgate Tower in London for British Land. Ongoing work in the capital includes a cut-and-carve refurbishment contract for Norges Bank Investment Management at the CN Awards-winning 20 Giltspur Street near St Paul\u2019s Cathedral. Outside London, it began work in June on an extension to Chryston High School in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.<\/p>\n But Sides reiterates that turnover mustn\u2019t be the overwhelming priority, and says Bam is consciously reining itself in under her direction. \u201cWe\u2019ve got steady work with clients that we want to be working with, and we\u2019re just steadying the ship. I don\u2019t want to suddenly do 20 per cent above [our revenue target], because chasing rapid turnover growth risks distorting our strategic focus. That means you\u2019re not being controlled \u2013 right now it\u2019s about smooth management.\u201d<\/p>\n Sides also wants to get the most out of Bam\u2019s workforce by encouraging flexible working and rethinking traditional roles \u2013 \u201cthe sustainability of the human effort,\u201d as she puts it. As a parent of two teenagers, she sees part-time hours and flexible working as an important retention strategy rather than a backward step in an individual\u2019s career. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a talent challenge with everybody else [in construction]. The best thing you can do is keep the talent you\u2019ve got and then find like-minded individuals to join you.\u201d<\/p>\n Bam has been piloting flexible working on sites since 2019. \u201cIf we\u2019re serious about attracting new talent, improving retention and supporting healthier, longer careers, then we must normalise flexible working \u2013 and not just in principle, but in practice. That means shifting the conversation from \u2018Why can\u2019t we?\u2019 to \u2018How can we?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Sides questions the notion that construction careers must follow a set path. \u201cI\u2019m not the classic, dictionary-definition UK tier one construction company executive director. But my skills are directly applicable.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to challenge assumptions – a lot of job descriptions in use today were written down in the 1950s and 60s, but we live in a different age. I\u2019m only just starting my journey with Bam in relation to this, but I have a lot of support.\u201d<\/p>\n As one of the few women in a senior leadership role at a UK contractor \u2013 and one of the chairs at CN<\/em>\u2019s Inspiring Women in Construction & Engineering workshop in July \u2013 Sides is under no illusions about the long way construction has to travel in search of a better gender balance.<\/p>\n She\u2019s also keen to push the debate wider. \u201cYou don\u2019t need women for women\u2019s sake. But if you\u2019re sitting in a room and don\u2019t have any women at all, you are missing at least half the voices. It\u2019s a big red flag, I suppose \u2013 women are 51 per cent of the [UK] population, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n A mix of perspectives is more important to her than just finding a gender balance, especially in view of her experience of working in different countries and cultures.<\/p>\n In this context, Sides believes her background can be beneficial. \u201cCreating an inclusive balance within construction isn\u2019t just about women and girls \u2013 it\u2019s about building a more diverse workforce much more broadly. I agree I don\u2019t fit the traditional image of a \u2018construction worker\u2019. I didn\u2019t come up through the ranks as an apprentice engineer. I am an outsider. I\u2019m Australian, I\u2019m a redhead, and I\u2019m a woman. Apr 2024 to date:<\/strong> Executive director construction, Bam UK & Ireland When Kim Sides arrived at Bam UK & Ireland as executive director of construction in April last year, she joined a business in need of change following a loss-making 2023. Now, more than a year into the role, she is guiding Bam through a strategy focused not on volume and turnover but on sustainable, long-term …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135716,"featured_media":528485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[570,559],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-528190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-long-reads"],"yoast_head":"\nKim Sides, Bam UK & Ireland<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nI love doing all of that,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\nvery risk which matters for this project.<\/p>\n\u2018Consistent and predictable\u2019<\/h3>\n
Human factor<\/h3>\n
\nNone of this means I\u2019ve got the answers. It just means\u2026 I have a different lens on the world; not better or worse \u2013 just different.\u201d<\/p>\nKim Sides\u2019 CV<\/h3>\n
\nFeb 2020-Jan 2024:<\/strong> Chief strategy officer and general counsel, Mura Technology (head of Asia-Pacific Feb 2020-May 2021)
\nMar 2015-Nov 2021:<\/strong> Founding director, Gelion (part-time)
\nJan 2017-Dec 2019:<\/strong> Commercial and finance director, Kuala Lumpur, Lendlease
\nJun 2013-Jan 2017:<\/strong> Commercial manager and general counsel, Lendlease
\nFeb 2012-Jun 2013:<\/strong> General counsel, project management & construction, Lendlease
\nApr 2011-Feb 2012:<\/strong> General counsel and company secretary, Valad Property Group
\nSep 2009-Dec 2010:<\/strong> General counsel and company secretary, Laing O\u2019Rourke Australia
\nJan 2004-Sep 2008:<\/strong> Partner, Mallesons Stephen Jacques
\nFeb-Sep 2004:<\/strong> General counsel (acting), Multiplex<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"