Speller Metcalfe owners Steve Speller and Andy Metcalfe are stepping back after 27 years running the business.
Steve Speller has retired from the business, at the age of 65; Andy Metcalfe, 61, retains an active director role but not running things day to day. He will support the management of special projects and assist the leadership team on the executive board of directors, the company said. Both men retain joint ownership of the company, however.
The new managing director, James Speller, and the technical director, Adrian Speller, are sons of co-founder Steve Speller.
Founded in 1995, Speller Metcalfe generates an annual turnover of £120m from its head office in Malvern, Worcestershire, alongside a second base in Wolverhampton.
“We are extremely proud to have managed an incredible family of staff for the better part of three decades,” said Andy Metcalfe. “However, over recent years both Steve and I have been moving away from the coalface of company management, with Steve taking full retirement at the end of last year.
“For both of us this has been made easier by the fact that a natural transition to a new management has been taking place. James is an instinctive leader who we have recognised as assuming the role of managing director over the last few years – if not in name – then certainly in action.
“As a result of his leadership, we have successfully navigated our way through the pandemic and are in an enviable position of strength two years on. Holding key experience and the right aptitude, we are delighted that having relinquished our MD responsibilities, we can now formally recognise his achievements by announcing him as Speller Metcalfe’s managing director.”
The new managing director said: “Adrian and I are extremely proud of Speller Metcalfe, our staff and our company achievements. We are a business built on strong values; one that strives to continuously evolve and we hope represents an example of how construction should be delivered – honestly and fairly.
“We are lucky to employ some of the best in our field, and together our aim is to build upon Andy and Steve’s incredible achievements and continue Speller Metcalfe’s journey to establish ourselves as a trusted leader in innovation, collaboration and sustainable construction.”
Two of the company’s long-serving divisional managers, Matthew Bailey and Mark Eaton, are joining the board as divisional directors this month. This follows the appointment of Judith Lewis to finance director and Chris Short to non-executive director last November.
Andy Metcalfe and Steve Speller have tried stepping back before; in 2016, after Des O’Neill was made managing director, Andy Metcalfe announced that he planned to retire in 2018. But when Mr O’Neill left in 2019 (he then joined Wolverhampton-based contractor Interclass as managing director) the co-owners resumed their previous responsibilities as joint managing directors.
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