I'm a client!

Astrologers say men undergo life-changing upheavals in their 28th and 56th years. Chris Lane can't recall his 28th too clearly, but in 2003, his 56th year, his world was completely up-ended: he was made redundant from Try Construction - even though, as a director, his job had seemed relatively secure.

"It was quite a shock," Lane admits. He knows it's a rough-and-tumble business and certainly doesn't believe in imaginary lifetime contracts, yet this was not the first but the second time he'd been let go in two years. Last time, from his position as south east regional director of Ballast Plc, he'd seen it coming. Trouble had seemed inevitable because of the way the company was taking on contracts to boost turnover without proper regard for risks or profit.

Things got worse. After Try let him go, he discovered that his final salary pension scheme with Ballast was practically worthless. When he left Ballast, he'd chosen to defer cashing in until he was 65. Bad move: the following year Ballast went into administration, owing £160m. "You're just another creditor, join the queue," he was told. At best, after having paid in for 16 years, he'll receive less than a quarter of what he'd been banking on. Lane's retirement plans were in disarray. He was expecting £24,000 per year; now he'd be lucky to get £4,000. "I'll probably have to work forever," he says, ruefully.

But there is a bright side. In November last year Lane was appointed construction director for Tilfen Land, a developer with holdings in the Thames Gateway, a regeneration area with a target of 200,000 new homes by 2016. Lacking in-house construction expertise, Tilfen were on on the look out. Lane's recruitment agent reckoned his CV was perfect, and after three interviews he joined the company.

Now he's the client, and quite an important one. Tilfen owns land in Thamesmead, east London, an area with an estimated gross development value of £800m. It will be the location of 4500 new homes and 1.6m square feet of commercial space. Some of Tilfen Land's projects include White Hart Triangle, an £80m joint venture with Greenwich Council and the London Development Agency comprising industrial and office units, and a £15m residential development at the historic Woolwich Polytechnic site.

After nearly 40 years as a contractor, Lane is delighted to find himself handing out the work. But he rejects the stereotype of developers as a cigar-smoking dandies, sipping Armagnac in plush suites and laughing at the outrageous margins they make.

"Developers are accused of risk-dumping," he says. "But risks like ground conditions are hard to establish, and they can tip the balance between profit and loss. We try to analyse the risks, be up-front about them, and place them with the people best able to handle them."

He supports parts of the stereotype, however: "All the people I used to take to lunch now want to take me," he says. "I suppose I'm at the top of the food chain!"

Will his Ballast experience affect the way Lane selects contractors? Absolutely, he says. "I want to see the calibre of their staff at prequalification. I want to know what experience they've got, how they are preserving their own profit and what financial checks they carry out. And I will take up references with previous clients."

Does he miss contracting, even a little?

"No. The risks, both personally and for the corporation, are too great. If I knew at 25 what I know now, I wouldn't have worked for UK building contractors."

Although Lane is happy, valued and at the top of his game, he's not going to be lulled into a false sense of security. "I've seen some people get made redundant, and it breaks them," he warns. "They felt it could never happen. I've always known it could. The only contract worth anything is written in ink. I'm determined not to be beaten by the corporate machine."