The disappeared ones

Ten brands we’ll never see again

• Alfred McAlpine has been been phased out since its takeover by Carillion in 2007.
• Ballast went into administration owing more than £150m in 2003 after its parent, Ballast Nedam, cut off financial support.
• Beazer Homes, one of the biggest names in housebuilding, vanished after being bought by Persimmon for £537.5m in 2001.
• Faber Maunsell was rebranded as Aecom in May this year, six years after it was bought.
• Kvaernar sold its construction business to Skanska in 2000, and the name finally disappeared after it was taken over by fellow Norwegian Aker in 2005.
• Montpellier was the contractor on the Oxford primate research lab. It rebranded in 2005 as Renew, after being hounded by animal rights protesters.
• Multiplex, the name that will be forever associated with the Wembley fiasco, disappeared from UK construction after it was bought by fellow Australian construction and property group Brookfield in 2007. We’re supposed to call it Brookfield Europe now …
• Railtrack went into administration in 2001 after the government refused to help with a £580m bill.
• Wilcon Homes disappeared from the housebuilding sector after a £480m takeover by Taylor Woodrow in 2003. It’s now part of the Bryant brand.
• William Verry, one of the oldest names in the industry, disappeared in July after its Verry Construction arm went bust.

Ten titans who left the radar

• Sir Frank Lampl, the legendary boss of Bovis retired in 2001. He remains life president of the company.
• Jason Millett was made chief executive of Bovis before his 40th birthday. He left suddenly in August 2006 and problem contracts later led to a £48m writedown. He is now working for Mace on the Olympics.
• Murray Coleman, he of the storm-tossed locks, took over from Millett, but returned to his native Australia at the end of 2008 to join the Lend Lease board.
• Paris Moayedi, aka the Prince of Darkness, stepped down as chair of Jarvis in 2003 blaming the politicised blame culture linked to PFI.
• In 2006 chary Scot Sir Peter Mason ended his 10 year reign at Amec. The company then began transforming itself into an energy and infrastructure specialist.
• Neil Bellis and Lucy Cummins, the in-laws who founded Erinaceous, resigned with a £736,000 pay off in 2007, shortly before the company went pop.
• Robin Southwell, the chief executive of Atkins, left the company in 2002 after less than two years. As he went, the company issued a profit warning, culled 400 jobs and its shares went into freefall (see Gaffes).
• Stuart McColl, the ginger-bearded Scottish architect, left his SMC practice in 2007 after profit warnings. He has since set up Robinson McColl.
• Rob Johnson, the former chief executive of concrete firm John Doyle, made a shock exit from the firm at the end of 2008, after three years in charge.
• Tony Douglas left his role as chief operating officer of Laing O’Rourke in November 2009. The former-BAA man had been tipped to be Ray O’Rourke’s successor.