Board director leaves William Hare after seven years

Steelwork contractor William Hare has confirmed that board director Matt Nesbit has left the firm after seven years.

Nesbit has been a board member for more than five years and in a statement, Hare said: “Matt Nesbit has left William Hare to pursue new opportunities closer to his corporate finance background.

“It has been a difficult decision for Matt and we want to thank him for the contribution he has made to the business over the last eight years.”

Nesbit is understood to have taken on a new role outside the industry.

Hare said Nesbit, who has previously worked for Goldman Sachs and Aviva Investors, would remain as a non-executive at the group.

His departure means that Nick Day, already a director, has returned to the group board which, Hare said, will see him “support ongoing developments to the London market”.

Earlier this month, the country’s second biggest steelwork contractor said it had improved turnover and profit last year in its final set of accounts filed at Companies House as a family-owned contractor.

Sale Sharks co-owner Simon Orange, the entrepreneur older brother of former Take That singer Jason Orange bought a majority stake in the firm, set up in Bolton in 1888 by its eponymous founder, for an undisclosed sum over the summer.

In its 2024 accounts, Hare said revenue was up one third to £422m with pre-tax profit was up from £6m to £31m. Cash at the bank and in hand at the year-end was £71m, up from £27m last time.