Chairman of Mace division banned from directorships

The chairman of Mace’s recruitment arm, the People Group, has been barred from being a director until September 2013 it emerged this week.

Jonathan Yurtsever lost the right to be a director of a company last month, under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.

It is understood that the ban resulted from his time as director of two recruitment companies that collapsed owing money to the Inland Revenue and former employees.

This week Yurtsever said that he did not want to discuss the disqualification, but did say: “It does not affect my role at People.”

Although Yurtsever is chairman of the company he is not, contrary to reports, chief executive, nor is he listed as a director of the company at Companies House. This means that he can lawfully continue his role at the company.

Bob White and Steve Pycroft, Mace chairman and chief executive respectively, were both unavailable for comment, but a spokesperson for Mace said that Yurtsever had chosen not to contest the ruling legally.

The spokesperson added: “He is not a director of the People Group or Mace but is retained as a consultant due to his extensive knowledge of the recruitment business.”

This does not affect my role at People

Jonathan Yurtsever

This latest development at Mace’s recruitment arm comes a week after it emerged that Mike Jones, People Group managing director, had resigned from the company.

Mace, which has a majority stake in People, was the first construction firm to create its own recruitment business in September last year.

The People Group is run as a separate entity from Mace and works on behalf of other contractors as well as Mace.

Yurtsever formerly worked for Redbrick Consulting, which was dissolved in August last year.

It emerged this week that one of Foster and Partners’ most senior directors has quit the firm. Andrew Miller was in charge of one of the six working groups that the practice was split into last year.