Paul Gandy FCIOB, operations director at Lend Lease responsible for the £1.2bn Elephant & Castle regeneration, is to join Balfour Beatty in a newly-created role to capitalise on the booming south-east property market.
Gandy will lead a new delivery unit for the design and construction of major property schemes in London and the south east, taking charge of projects such as the £87m redevelopment of St James’s Market, central London, for the Crown Estate and Oxford Properties (pictured above).
The appointment is one of four senior hires announced by Balfour Beatty Construction Services UK, placed in the spotlight in May after it was forced into a £30m profit warning.
In a press statement, Balfour Beatty said it was targeting the nuclear new build and decommissioning markets in the north and west as well as growth opportunities in property development in the south east.
As a result, Alun Williams, who joins from consultant Jacobs but brings experience from managing successful nuclear power station bids for Laing O’Rourke, has been appointed as executive general manager for the energy and power sector.
He will take responsibility for the nuclear new build and decommissioning markets, as well as special power projects and Balfour Beatty’s Power Systems business.
L-r: Barry de Falco; Simon Higginson; Paul Gandy; Alun Williams
And there are two appointments to M&E contracting business Balfour Beatty Engineering Serives. Lend Lease’s Simon Higginson joins as commercial director for the business, after leading the Birmingham Building Schools for the Future programme for Lend Lease.
Barry De Falco, who had twelve years boardroom experience at T Clarke, has been appointed as operations director for engineering services in London and the south east.
Nicholas Pollard, chief executive of Balfour Beatty Construction Services UK, said: “I am delighted to welcome four new seasoned industry leaders to Balfour Beatty. We continue to attract and retain the best UK talent and leaders within our industry to collaborate with our customers, drive innovation and improve safety, productivity, quality and profits.”
Gandy became a CIOB trustee in 2013 and has become a well-known figure in the industry, having previously held senior roles at Multiplex and Carillion. He graduated from the Polytechnic of Central London in 1982 and began his career as an engineer and site manager.
At Elephant & Castle, where Lend Lease is both Southwark council’s development partner and the contractor, Gandy had oversight of all aspects of the project from initial design to sales. He will join Balfour Beatty in August.
He will report to Mark Cutler, regional managing director of Balfour Beatty’s UK construction business, who said: “Paul’s leadership and extensive experience running major super-prime building schemes for over a decade, coupled with wider strategic business experience, will be invaluable to our business. This new delivery unit is poised to take advantage of the returning growth in the south east.”
On prospects in the power sector, Stephen Tarr, managing director of major projects at Balfour Beatty’s UK construction business, said: “The power and energy sector is one in which Balfour Beatty has always innovated and excelled. We are building a reputation for delivering some of the most complex undertakings in some of the most challenging environments, and we are now positioning ourselves to take full advantage of the growing opportunities that we see in the sector over the next 10 years.”
