Pair rejig top roles as incumbents set to retire
Neil Martin is ending a near three decades association at Lendlease with the firm confirming its Europe chief will be leaving this autumn.
His departure will mark the end of an on-off link to a contractor that began in 1990 when it was known as Bovis before the company was snapped up from then owner P&O by the Australian developer in 1999, rebranding as Bovis Lend Lease before dropping the iconic Bovis marque altogether in 2011.
Martin, who has spent 27 years at the business, joined Bovis at the start of the 1990s, leaving to complete law qualifications before returning to construction with Kier and then Lendlease.
In an email sent to staff today, Lendlease group chief executive Tony Lombardo said Martin, who will be 56 by the time he goes, will leave in late October. He added: “It’s with very mixed feelings that I announce our Europe CEO, Neil Marin, has made the decision to retire. Neil will be leaving us in late October.”
Lombardo, who has been the global boss since summer 2021, said: “Neil has done an exceptional job in building a strong leadership team and we’ll be announcing his successor in due course. And with Neil staying until October, we have a good amount of time for transition.”
Martin took on the chief executive’s role at Europe, which covers its work in the UK as well as some schemes in Italy and Latin America, in 2019 after the departure of Dan Labbad for the chief executive’s post at the Crown Estate.
Martin had previously been in charge of Lendlease’s UK construction arm for six years.
He sits on Lendlease’s global leadership team, headed by Lombardo, and in the last set of results filed by Lendlease Europe for the year to June 2022, the highest paid director, believed to be Martin, picked up £895,000 including £51,000 in share options.
Martin said: “Lendlease is a fantastic company to work for and it’s been an enormous privilege to have been entrusted with several key roles during my time with the business. I would like to thank all of the incredibly talented and hard-working colleagues who’ve supported me throughout my career.”
Meanwhile, Katy Dowding has been appointed president and chief executive of Skanska’s UK business and will take over next week from retiring incumbent Gregor Craig.
Dowding, who has been with the firm 20 years, will succeed Craig next Tuesday.
She has been executive vice president for the business since 2017 and before that spent five years as managing director of its facilities management arm. Dowding is a commissioner on Building’s year-long Building the Future Commission project to improve the built environment.
Dowding said: “I’m honoured and excited to be given the opportunity to lead Skanska UK. It’s a fantastic business with hugely talented people who help our customers to deliver successful projects and a lasting legacy for society.”
A QS by background, Craig, who turns 60 next month, has held the top role since 2017 having taken over from Mike Putnam. He joined Skanska in 2003 from Tarmac.
Paying tribute, Anders Danielsson, president and CEO of Skanska, said: “[Craig’s] business mindset and ability to always put the customer first has positioned Skanska as one of UK’s most successful construction companies. I wish him all the best for the future.”
Adam McDonald, who joined the firm 20 years ago as an undergraduate, succeeds Dowding as executive vice president for Skanska UK’s building and building services operations. For the past five years he has been in charge of Skanska’s UK building services division.
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