Tom Harrison describes himself as “one of the influencing forces behind the growth of Turner & Townsend into a global business”.
Now Soben founder and chief executive Scott Smyth wants Mr Harrison to help grow Soben too.
Soben Contract & Commercial began as Smyth Contract Services in Glasgow in 2011 before changing its name in 2013. Its latest accounts for the year to 31st December 2021, show employee numbers growing from 14 to 17. Today, the company says, it has 250 employees across five continents, offering construction management and quantity surveying.
Scott Smyth’s plan is to have 1,000 staff by 2028, which is where Tom Harrison comes in. He spent 43 years with Turner & Townsend as a chartered surveyor, before retiring in 2017, during which time it grew from 100 people in the north of England to 5,000 in more than 100 countries. He claims credit for helping to open offices in Amsterdam, Munich, Dublin, Los Angeles, Houston, Toronto, Singapore, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Perth, Brisbane, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Columbia and Kenya.
“I am always interested in watching the progress of ambitious companies,” he said, “and am delighted to share my experience and work with Soben to support and sustain its expansion plans and maintain its own unique style of delivery.”
Scott Smyth said: “I am a great believer in surrounding myself with people who have experience and skills that I can learn from. Tom is a titan in the industry and played a key role in the success of T&T. We are honoured to have him supporting our journey, working closely with our exec team to help accelerate our growth.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
