The promotion of Yorkshire divisional managing director Lee Powell to the new CEO role comes on the back of a recent growth spurt. GMI Construction turned over £115m in 2020; it is forecasting turnover in excess of £350m for 2022 and has already secured £300m worth of opportunities.
The new chief executive intends to implement a strategy to maintain constant and controlled growth while maintaining its debt free status. He is also set to expand the contractor’s geographic towards the south of England. It currently has offices in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Teesside.
Current GMI projects include:
- a £200m train manufacturing plant for Siemens Mobility in Goole, East Yorkshire;
- a £30m office building at Thorpe Park, Leeds;
- a 437,000 sq ft fulfilment centre for an online fashion retailer at Fradley Park in Lichfield, Staffordshire;
- an 11-storey apartment block with 259 flats, forming part of the £200m Becketwell regeneration scheme in Derby;
- and a £30m extension to a helicopter factory for Leonardo in Yeovil.
David Shann, chief executive of GMI’s parent company Highgrove Group, said: “Lee’s appointment to this newly-created CEO role underlines our commitment to strengthen and grow our presence in the regions where we already operate, as well as looking towards developing new opportunities.
“As CEO, we believe Lee has the experience, energy and ability to take GMI to the next level. Equally at home on site or in the boardroom, he has already proven to be a major driver within the business and is responsible for helping create our enviable reputation for delivering quality developments on time and within budget.”
Lee Powell said: “As the UK continues to level up across all of its key regions, I want to ensure GMI is right at the heart of that growth and powering forward with our expert team of industry leading professionals who continue to deliver excellence on project after project.
“I am however consciously aware that GMI needs to implement that growth by retaining those values that has delivered success to this company and our clients. These include using local suppliers and sub-contractors whenever possible, as well as creating educational opportunities, to bring maximum economic benefit to the communities we are operating in.”
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