Labbad to interview hopefuls for construction adviser role

Lend Lease’s out-going European chief executive Dan Labbad will represent the industry on a three person interview panel for the government’s chief construction adviser role, with 17 figures expressing an interest in replacing Paul Morrell by the close of the application deadline last week.

As first revealed in Building , the government launched the recruitment process for a replacement for Morrell in April. Morrell has been the government’s chief construction adviser since December 2009 and will stand down in November.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) said this week that 17 applicants had expressed an interest in the role, will shift from a three day-a-week post to a full-time position, although the current salary of £124,920 will remain.

A BIS spokesman said interview would be conducted by a three person panel, with the industry represented by Lend Lease’s European chief executive Dan Labbad, who was recently appointed to the role of global chief operating officer and will leave the UK later this year to be based in Australia.

The other two members of the panel will be senior civil servants from BIS and the Cabinet Office.

The spokesman said a shortlist for the role would be drawn up over the coming weeks, with an announcement expected in the summer.

The industry has been lobbying hard for the replacement of former Davis Langdon boss Morrell to be another senior industry figure.

No candidates have so far declared their interest in applying for the post, though speculation over possible candidates has focused on former Carillion boss John McDonough, former Atkins chief executive Keith Clarke, ConstructionSkills chair James Wates, and former Bovis Lend Lease boss Nick Pollard.