Balfour UK procurement chief leaves

Balfour Beatty’s UK procurement director has become the latest senior manager to leave the contractor.

Martin Chown, who had taken a lead in the contractor’s efforts to offer finance to its suppliers, is understood to have decided to the leave the company.

His decision comes as Balfour Beatty confirmed that IT procurement specialist Grahame Ball had joined the firm this Monday as international procurement director. Ball’s international role is understood to not be a replacement of Chown’s UK job.

Ball joins from technology firm Colt, where he was chief procurement and supply chain officer. He has also held procurement roles for Microsoft and drinks business Diageo.

Chown was appointed to lead procurement in the UK in 2013, after spending three years in the government procurement service after more than ten years at pharmaceuticals firm GSK.

Chown’s decision to leave comes after a raft of senior departures last year, including UK construction chief executive Nick Pollard, group chairman Steve Marshall and finance director Duncan Magrath, as well as a host of senior managers in the UK construction business.