Currie & Brown loses BSF head

It emerged this week that Mike Walker, the consultant’s national BSF framework co-ordinator, will leave in July. He is leaving to take on a new role in Metronet’s risk assessment division.

The departure is a further blow to the group’s PFI/PPP division, coming just weeks after international consultant WSP poached Steve Prior, its PFI director and Gary McCarthy, a divisional director. Prior is now head of WSP’s PPP and project finance division with McCarthy working alongside him as a technical director. It also emerged this week that Martin Taylor, a management and marketing director has left to head MDA’s Brighton office.

The moves are the latest in a series of high-profile departures from Currie & Brown, which restructured its business earlier this year. Six directors left in 2005, over “cultural differences”. Angus McLean was chairman until he left last May.

The group’s PFI department has traditionally been strong, and the flurry of departures will be a setback.

Part and parcel of running any successful business is that people come and go

Currie & Brown spokesperson

A Currie & Brown spokesperson confirmed that Walker would leave the group but said: “Part and parcel of running any successful business is that people come and go. We have such a strong pool of talent here that we’re able to maintain a level of continuity that makes any change in personnel largely invisible to our clients.”

Also this week, it emerged that recently restructured consultant Capita Symonds has poached eight new members of staff to make up its new security and aviation divisions.

Among these was Grahame Power-Hosking, a former Atkins director who will lead the aviation division.