Wates appoints Willmott Dixon boss to UK operations director role at construction business

Wates is bringing in the chief operating officer of Willmott Dixon’s interiors business as the new UK operations director at its construction business.

Roger Forsdyke starts at the beginning of next month after spending more than 25 years at Willmott Dixon, having been the boss of its fit out business for the past three and a half years.

Forsdyke is succeeding George Mosey who in the spring was appointed managing director of its London construction business after joining the business last March.

Wates said: “[Forsdyke’s] appointment forms part of Wates Construction’s strategy to accelerate sustainable growth across public and private sectors, strengthen its national operational leadership and enhance its capability to deliver increasingly complex and high-value projects.”

The firm added: “Wates continues to invest in the expertise, leadership and operational excellence needed to deliver exceptional outcomes.”

Under its strategy, Wates has been looking to move into challenging for bigger and more high-profile jobs and last month appointed Mace Construct’s operations director Kevin Grace as its new commercial director at its London building business.

Construction is Wates’ biggest business with a turnover last year of £1.2bn out of a group-wide income of £2.5bn.

Steff Battle, executive managing director at Wates Construction, added: “Roger brings deep expertise in building high-performing, accountable teams and delivering operational excellence at scale. His commitment to customer success, people development and continuous improvement align perfectly with our culture and our ambition to be the partner of choice for customers.”