In a few sentences;
- I have over 30 years experience delivering complex projects in a wide range of environments, industries and technologies
- I am pragmatic and ‘hands-on’ and I get things done
- I take pride in finding creative solutions to difficult problems and in seeking out and delivering cost savings for my clients
- I believe that technical competence, common sense, organisation and good communication are key to the success of every project
I often carry out a combination of the following activities;
- project scope option analysis
- scope definition and agreement
- 3D modelling of options to help determine the best layout of spaces
- submission of grant applications
- planning, building regs and listed building applications
- appointment and management of design professionals (e.g. architectural, structural, mechanical & electrical, interior design etc.)
- appointment and management of main and sub contractors (e.g. civil, mechanical, hvac, electrical and specialist process equipment suppliers)
- health and safety management including ‘Principal Designer‘ and ‘Principal Contractor‘ roles under CDM 2015
- day-to-day management of the logistics and sequence of work
- consultation and ongoing communication with stakeholders at all levels
- generation and resolution of defects schedules
- ‘Contract Administrator’’ and ‘Clerk of Works’ roles
- expert witness consultancy
CAREER HISTORY
I am a degree qualified, chartered engineer with many years of senior management experience in international ‘blue-chip’ and smaller UK companies.
I started my career in 1990 with Turner and Newall, a global group of ‘tier 1’ engineering companies, where I spent eight years delivering manufacturing improvement projects at many of their automotive and aerospace plants across the UK and Germany, focusing mainly on ‘just-in-time’ and modern quality assurance methodologies.
In 1995 I moved to the North East of England and spent two years leading the Equipment Engineering section of Philips Electronics in Washington, which was the world’s largest manufacturer of cathode ray tube deflection units at that time.
I then moved to Procter & Gamble where I spent 14 years delivering a wide range of complex capital projects for the development and the high volume manufacture of personal care and household cleaning products for brands such as Pantene, Old Spice, Hugo Boss, Ariel, Fairy and Bold. I also created and then led the European Research & Development Engineering Support organisation, bringing together the technical support functions of the four main European technical centres in the UK, Belgium and Germany to leverage their scale and deliver improved technical support at lower cost across Europe. I was the “emergency controller” at the Longbenton site, responsible for business continuity and leadership of crisis management. I played a lead role in external communication with the local planning authority and resident groups as the site was developed.
I left P&G in 2011 and was appointed Commercial Director of a group of north-east based engineering companies, Tharsus, during which time I led the relocation and consolidation of the individual companies to a much larger single site in Blyth and established professional project and supply-chain management processes.
In February 2014 I established Gritstone Project Management Ltd. and since then I have delivered large scale building refurbishment, development and plant installation projects for a wide range of local organisations, industrial clients and home owners. I have also led the sensitive development of a number of large listed churches. Since January 2022 I’ve been assisting the United Reformed Church with property matters across their entire northern portfolio of churches and manses.