All Interviews articles – Page 21
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FeaturesView from on high: ISG's Darren Hill
Tough times these may be for specialists, but many have worked out survival strategies. Here, Darren Hill, UK manager of ISG, the UK’s top fit-out specialist, talks to David Rogers about his plans to stay on top.
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FeaturesHammerson's Vinod Thakrar: Think I’ll bite?
Time was when some contractors found Hammerson such an exacting client, they steered clear. Now Vinod Thakrar, the man in charge of its supply chain, has them lining up to talk to him. Luckily for them, he’s after fresh blood
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FeaturesDave Sheridan: His friends in the north
A year ago Dave Sheridan suddenly found himself thrust to the top of property services group, Apollo. Once he’d got over the shock he set out on a high-risk strategy of shifting the business away from London to the northern regions
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FeaturesDan Labbad: Aussie Rules
The arrival of Bovis Lend Lease’s new boss sparked rumours about the company’s future. Now, after a long silence, Labbad reveals his plans for one of the UK’s best known contractors.
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FeaturesWilkinson Eyre: Twin peaks
Ten years ago Building interviewed a young architectural practice called Wilkinson Eyre. A decade and two Stirling prizes later, we return to ask its principals how it feels to become part of the design establishment - and on the top of their game.
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FeaturesMark Whitby: Many happy returns
When Mark Whitby retired last year, everyone but him knew it wouldn’t last. But after a year working on his garden, he’s finally seen the light … Emily Wright met him as he prepared to open his new venture
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FeaturesInterview with WSP's Paul Dollin: Cheer leader
Paul Dollin, WSP’s enthusiastic new UK boss, has no intention of ’waking up American’. So the former Atkins man intends to grow the UK business by pushing even harder into infrastructure, particularly rail and nuclear. Just don’t expect to see any more Shards going up
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FeaturesMark Prisk: He’s no guru, but Prisk aims to enlighten us anyway
New construction minister wants to simplify procurement, clarify planning and expand markets
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FeaturesAfter Kieron: Campaigning for better site safety
Monday 9 August 2004 is a date Jennifer Deeney will never forget. It was when her husband Kieron died in an accident on a construction site - 13 weeks after they were married. Since then she’s been campaigning for better site safety - and a calendar of naked women ...
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FeaturesHanif Kara: They said ‘stay weird’, so he did
Hanif Kara has a reputation for inventiveness and eccentricity, but he has soberly steered his engineering firm through a merger with White Young Green and a recession. He tells Emily Wright about the need to make difficult decisions.
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FeaturesDavid Penfold on Sainsbury’s waste strategy
David Penfold is a driven man: he has to cut Sainsbury’s waste to as close to zero as possible. And given the amount of activity that the store engages in, he needs good ideas and even better suppliers.
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FeaturesBack for seconds: David Nurser
David Nurser has a voracious appetite for risk-taking. First he set up the surveying firm CNP in a recession. And now he’s a year into his second venture, Paragon (more great timing)
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CommentFreedom fighter: Toby Young interview
Author Toby Young is one of the first parents to try to found a free school - partly, it seems, in an effort to alienate as many architects as possible. Emily Wright asked him why
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CommentPLP: So business is looking up?
Remember the Polisano crew who busted out of Kohn Pedersen Fox and started up on their own? That must have been a year ago now. Emily Wright found out what happened to them next
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CommentBT's Gary Wingrove: Your call is important to us
Gary Wingrove is responsible for helping cut BT’s £900m-a-year property spending habit. And to do it, he’s moving away from its frameworks. So who is he looking to talk to, asks Emily Wright, and what does he want to hear?
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FeaturesIan Tyler: Life moves on
It’s not that Balfour Beatty is taking the recession in its stride exactly, but when the contractor ranked No 1 in the Building Top 150 greets deep government cuts with equanimity, you know it must be doing something right. Emily Wright asks chief executive Ian Tyler what it is
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FeaturesGraham Shennan on Morgan Sindall's merger
It’s been a month since Morgan Sindall’s building and civils arms became one, and MD Graham Shennan is still explaining that it’s all part of a planned bid for market share. Is Joey Gardiner persuaded?
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FeaturesElectrical Contractors Association: Precedent Johnson
Diane Johnson is the ECA’s first woman president.What’s she got planned for her year at the helm?
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FeaturesWaitrose’s Nigel Keen: ‘The next 10 years will be fun’
Few people expected Waitrose to do well out of the recession. But profit is up 25%, it’s building 10 supermarkets a year, and now has plans to take on the convenience store market. No wonder property boss Nigel Keen is feeling so chipper
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FeaturesAndrew Chisholm: Career break and back
One year ago, Andrew Chisholm shut the surveying firm he had spent 15 years building up, then took a seven-month break. But now he’s back with a new company – and a lot of his old staff