Confusion reigns at Jarvis, where one Andrew has three jobs, and at Mace, where two Chrises share one job. Thank God everything’s clear at Holyrood …
Queen to miss knees-up
I hear the curse of Holyrood could be about to strike again. Word reaches me that tomorrow’s grand opening of the £431m Scottish parliament may be missing its chief guest, namely the Queen. Sources north of the border claim that Her Majesty may be forced to cry off from the event due to her dicky knee. “Nobody is sure what’s happening,” a source on the site admitted to me. So, no change there, then.
Floor double-oh-sheven
One dignitary who will be present will be the so-called “King of Scotland” Sean Connery. I understand that Connery’s mellifluous tones will inform those using the lifts which floor they have reached. In case you’re wondering whether this contributed to the building’s £431m price tag, I’m told Connery offered his vocal services gratis.
He’s definitely called Chris
Perhaps the altitude got to Mace chairman Bob White at the launch of the construction manager’s QS division Sense at the top of the Swiss Re building last week. White managed to fluff his lines quite spectacularly by introducing Sense’s managing director, presumably a fairly close colleague, as Chris Gilmour when his name is actually Chris Goldthorpe. At least it was the right number of syllables, Bob.
At home with the Eubanks
One Chris whose name you really want to get right is the former boxer and would-be pier developer Chris Eubank. It appears that Eubank has finally succeeded in stamping his indelible mark on the landscape of his beloved Brighton. The city’s council having granted planning permission for a block of 41 flats to be developed on the site of his Brighton home and gym. Cue press release from the scheme’s architect Lomax Cassidy & Edwards headed “Eubank Wins Knock-out Victory for Affordable Housing”. Geddit?
Marathon man
In his free time Alan McKenzie works for architect Sheppard Robson. However, I’d be willing to bet he has very little time for design. According to Alan, this year he has competed for the architectural firm in two triathlons, two
half-marathons, and a construction industry touch rugby tournament. For his next venture Alan is running the New York marathon for disabled children’s charity Get Kids Going. I’m exhausted just writing about his exploits – anybody wanting to sponsor him should go to www.justgiving.com/alan_mckenzie.
With such high turnover of staff at Jarvis these days, it's hardly surprising that even its own personnel cannot always remember who's who. When calling the switchboard to check Andrew Lezala's job title, I was told he was finance director of Jarvis' accommodation services division. In a subsequent call, I was told that, in fact, his correct title was chief executive. Although Lezala is favourite to land the top job, left open when Kevin Hyde quit last week, even I knew this was a little premature. A third call to the York office, where Lezala is based, revealed that he is in fact head of Jarvis' rail division – at least for the moment.
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