Russ Forshaw takes over from David Lowe, who has now become executive chairman.
David Lowe was managing director for more than 11 years. His father Charlie Lowe founded Manchester & Cheshire (MC) Construction with John Purcell in 1971. John Purcell’s sons Mike and Chris Purcell alongside David Lowe are the current owners.
MC Construction is today a £15m-turnover business with approximately 60 staff.
Russ Forshaw, 37, is the first person from outside the families to be managing director.
He joined the company in 2017 as head of a new facilities services division before being promoted to group operations director. Earlier in his career he spent eight years at Shepherd Construction.
“I’m extremely grateful to Dave, Mike and Chris for placing their trust in me and for enabling me to continue the fantastic work of the Lowe and Purcell families,” Russ Forshaw said. “MC Construction has over half a century of history, with a proud record of successfully delivering projects for multiple clients across a variety of sectors throughout the northwest. We have established a wonderful company culture, and the future is bright.”
David Lowe said: “Russ has been an integral part of our senior team for a number of years, showing great leadership qualities, a deep understanding of the business to grow our capabilities, and working extremely well with colleagues, clients and suppliers.
“This has been a planned succession and we know Russ is the right person to step into the managing director’s role, building on the founding families’ legacy to take the business forward.
“I have been privileged to be managing director for over 11 years and now is the right time to become executive chairman, which enables me to continue to add value to the business.
“We can assure clients that it is ‘business as usual’ and that we have a structure in place to ensure the business will continue to flourish in the future.”
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