Figures with experience in public-private partnership models to look at fresh financial approaches that could unlock vital infrastructure works
Six major construction industry figures have signed up to help guide the work of Building’s Funding the Future coverage this year.
The panel includes leaders at tier one contractors as well as those with investment, legal and advisory expertise in the world of public-private partnerships.
These advisers will help inform Building’s investigations into fresh ways of attracting and using finance to boost construction projects at a time of constrained public finances.
Our Funding the Future coverage kicked off in April this year with the first in a series of articles examining options for public-private partnerships that can draw on private capital to pay for utilities, transport and social infrastructure.
>> This week’s Funding the Future focus: What will the infrastructure strategy say about private finance?
>> Beth West: If I were the chancellor… (or how to finance infrastructure when there’s not enough money)
>> Discover more from Funding the Future at the Building the Future Conference: Secure your place today
In the coming months, as the details from this month’s spending review and infrastructure strategy are worked through, our advisers will be on hand to offer valuable insights and expert views. They will help us to assess proposed financial models for levering in private money to public projects, and consider the types of projects that could benefit.
Chloe McCulloch, Building’s editorial director, said: “We are extremely pleased to be able to tap into the valuable expertise of this panel. Between them, our advisers have decades of experience delivering major infrastructure projects as well as providing advice on different public-private financing models that can unlock development.
“Our Funding the Future coverage seeks to make the case for investment in construction in what is anticipated to be a vital year of government decisions due to be made in the forthcoming spending review and the infrastructure strategy. The issues we are covering go to the heart of the UK’s economic recovery, making them crucial for our readers and the country as a whole.”
Our advisers on the panel are:
Stephen Beechey
Beechey was appointed group public sector director at Wates in 2020 with responsibility for all public sector relationships within local and central government. This includes the Department for Education, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice, MHCLG, BEIS and the Cabinet Office.
In his previous role as group strategy director he was responsible for the group business strategy, communications and government affairs.
He began his career as an engineer with Tarmac in 1987 and progressed into a number of commercial roles before moving into a development and programme management role with Schal.
Subsequent roles included development and sector directorships with Jarvis and Laing O’Rourke, where he was responsible for over £2bn worth of PFI contracts across education, social housing, the MoD, MoJ and infrastructure.
Meliha Duymaz
Duymaz joined Skanska UK as chief financial officer and executive vice-president in 2022. She has a breadth of experience across services, operations and major construction projects.
Prior to joining Skanska, she was finance director for Network Rail’s eastern region, running from London to Scotland, with an overview of a significant portion of Network Rail’s investment budget in multibillion-pound programmes and projects.
She has also served as managing director for the Anglia route, leading multifunctional teams responsible for infrastructure management and service delivery for some of the most intensely operated rail routes into London.
Before joining Network Rail in 2012, Duymaz worked for a diverse range of organisations including Serco and Huntsworth.
Craig Elder
Elder is a partner in law firm Browne Jacobson’s government team and has significant experience of private finance initiative and wider public private partnership models, having advised on some of the largest PFI/PPPs to date in the UK.
These include advising Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority on its waste disposal PFI, and the Ministry of Defence on its Combined Aerial Targets Systems programme. The latter was named “best UK PPP to sign” at the PPP awards.
He continues to advise government clients, and business to government contractors, on infrastructure projects in areas such as defence, waste, health, leisure and culture, education and transport. This includes advice on PFI exit and variation arrangements, and structuring and delivering complex procurements.
Mark Reynolds
Reynolds is executive chair of Mace, co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council and co-chair of the Construction Skills Mission Board.
In December 2024, he stepped down as Mace Group’s chief executive, a role he had held since 2013. He has been executive chairman since January 2022.
Reynolds gained his early experience in the commercial and aviation sectors and was the deputy programme director for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He was instrumental in establishing the Mace early contracting service and led and established the utilities, nuclear and infrastructure business and delivery partner services.
He has advised government departments and supported the government on several advisory boards. He was appointed in June 2022 as co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council, alongside the UK’s minister for construction, to help lead the next steps of the industry’s transformation.
James Stewart
![James Stewart[1].jpg](https://d3sux4fmh2nu8u.cloudfront.net/Pictures/480xAny/9/7/7/2004977_jamesstewart1.jpg_557707_crop.jpeg)
Stewart is chair of Agilia Infrastructure Partners. Between 2011 and 2021, he held several senior level positions at KPMG, including serving as a non-executive member of the KPMG LLP board, chair of the audit board and chair of KPMG’s global infrastructure practice.
As vice-chair of KPMG LLP, he was responsible for the firm’s engagement on Brexit and the government’s growth agenda, including its industrial strategy.
Before this, he was chief executive of Infrastructure UK, based in the Treasury and responsible for supporting major infrastructure projects and programmes in the UK. He was also chief executive of Partnerships UK, responsible for assisting in the development and implementation of the public-private partnerships programme in the UK.
Beth West
West has experience in developing and delivering some of the UK’s largest multibillion-pound infrastructure programmes and commercial property developments.
Her background is in finance, spending eight years working in project finance in New York and London. She has worked in senior commercial roles for Transport for London, Thames Water and HS2 to transform their commercial performance.
From 2017-21, West moved from infrastructure into the built environment, developing and implementing business strategies and standards to support major property portfolios and construct commercial and residential properties. She also worked for the City of London Corporation to establish long-term plans to support its climate action strategy.
Her most recent role was as interim chief executive at East West Rail, where she secured central government financial support and a sustainable future for the Oxford to Cambridge railway corridor.
Over the next few months Building’s Funding the Future coverage will seek to share learning, consult with industry and collect ideas from readers. This will culminate in a special report to be published at our Building the Future Live Conference in London on 2 October - click here to book your tickets now.
To share your ideas of new funding models, email carl.brown@assemblemediagroup.co.uk. To find the campaign on social media follow #Buildingfundfuture.
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