Sir Robert McAlpine is cutting around 60 jobs, waving goodbye to two senior directors and switching its focus to sectors rather than regions under a major rejig of the business by chief executive Paul Hamer.
The most eye-catching departures are the firm’s London boss, Alison Cox, a McAlpine board member who has been in the post for just 18 months, and the managing director of its Southern business Ian Cheung who has been with the firm seven years.
But McAlpine is bringing back Grant Findlay as executive managing director of a newly formed Buildings division and who will now sit on a refreshed group board.
It will prioritise sectors where it has been most successful; these include healthcare, commercial offices, industrial, as well as the heritage and complex schemes delivered by its Major & Special Projects team.
McAlpine restructure plans will focus on clients’ changing requirements and decarbonisation.
The recent announcement of Sir Robert McAlpine’s appointment to the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus for the University of Bristol is a good illustration of this vision in action. The company will be working closely with this key client on a project that will make a huge impact on the city of Bristol and the local area, both socially and economically.
It is also growing the rail, transport, and nuclear sectors of its infrastructure business to drive profitable growth and minimise its exposure to ongoing geo-political and market risks.
The business will move from a regional operating model to a sector-focused model, with national centres of excellence providing projects with swift access to expertise.
McAlpine restructure plans will reduce workforce by 2.5%, but vows to remain guided by strong set of value.
The McAlpine way of Build Sure continues to underpin the business’s approach to engineering and technical excellence, ensuring the delivery of exemplary projects safely, sustainably, on time, on budget, to the highest quality.
Paul Hamer, chief executive, Sir Robert McAlpine, said: “We have been proudly building Britain’s future heritage since 1869, and, throughout our history, have successfully overcome obstacles by remaining agile and adapting to evolving market conditions.
“The challenges that the industry is currently facing are exceptional and unprecedented. In this turbulent market, we owe it to our people and our clients to carefully consider how we apply our focus and expertise over the coming years to seize the opportunities that will support us to thrive.
“These changes are needed to enhance our operational agility. They mean we can move rapidly whilst generating improved efficiency and productivity. This does, unfortunately result in a small number of roles becoming redundant, which is a difficult but necessary decision.
“This strategy provides the momentum to take Sir Robert McAlpine successfully into the next 150 years. It enables us to build on our existing strengths and realise our full potential.
“We want to be renowned for our work with clients and communities as we construct a better world for future generations.”
