Carillion has offered its London operations director Richard Houson a better job in an attempt to keep him at the firm.
Houson is understood to have been offered a six-figure salary to join Skanska as the project director of its £620m PFI scheme at St Bartholomew's hospital in central London.

A company insider said that once news had broken that Houson was being lured away by Skanska, Carillion had acted swiftly.

The source said: "Carillion has offered Houson a bigger role. He will become Carillion's national operation director, and look after the whole construction portfolio."

The source said that Skanska had headhunted Houson as he had a "wealth of experience" managing PFI health schemes.

The source said: "Houson oversaw one of the first PFI health schemes ever delivered at Dartford in Kent. Skanska recognised this but Carillion has moved quickly to keep him."

  • It is understood that Carillion director Alan Hope is still deciding whether to take a job at Amec to look after its construction activities.