New arrival begins work next week

A trained lawyer has been appointed the new boss of Bam’s UK construction arm, taking over from James Wimpenny who left earlier this year.

Australian Kim Sides starts her new role next week and joins the company from recycling company Mura Technology where she was chief strategy officer and general counsel.

Her CV includes stints at Lendlease, where she was a commercial director and general counsel for eight years including its Barangaroo office scheme in Sydney, which included three towers designed by RSHP. She also had a 16 month spell at Laing O’Rourke where she was a general counsel and was a general counsel at Multiplex before leaving to become an equity partner at Australian law firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques.

KimSides headshot March 2024

Kim Sides has previously worked for Lendlease, Laing O’Rourke and Multiplex

Sides will report into chief operating officer John Wilkinson who said: “She is a proven leader who puts a focus on bringing diverse and complex teams together, providing healthy support and challenge and getting positive results. She also brings a commercial and contractual edge, a deep understanding of risk and is someone who delivers.”

>> See also: ‘The day I convince myself I know everything is the day I go’: an interview with Bam’s John Wilkinson

Sides replaces interim boss Simon Finnie, Bam’s executive director for its ventures business, who took over after Wimpenny left at the end of January.

Wimpenny spent close to 40 years at the business, having joined it as a management trainee when it was known as Higgs & Hill in 1985.

Wilkinson said Finnie would be working alongside Sides for the next couple of months to ensure a smooth transition by the summer.