Simon Gorski joined business 20 years ago

Lendlease’s construction boss in the UK is leaving the business, two months after it was put up for sale.

Simon Gorski was made managing director in 2019 after incumbent Neil Martin – who left last year and is now chief executive at Sir Robert McAlpine – was promoted to a global role at the business.

A spokesperson for Lendlease said: “As we begin the process of divesting our UK construction business, Simon felt this was the right time to handover to the next generation of leaders to take the business forwards.

“Simon’s strong leadership skills and commercial acumen have been of real value to the business and helped us to build the enviable pipeline of construction work we have today.

“Simon is succeeded by David Cadiot, previously executive general manager for Lendlease’s regional business. He is a 29-year veteran of Lendlease and joined the company as an undergraduate, before taking on a number of commercial and leadership roles. David is well known to our people and many of our clients; and is well placed to lead the business through this next phase of its evolution.”

Gorski joined the company in 2004 from the British Army where he was an officer having attended the military academy at Sandhurst.

Simon Gorski MD CONSTRUCTION 1

Simon Gorski spent 20 years at Lendlease

He spent five years as a QS at John Laing, before leaving for the army in 1994, where his contemporaries included Mace construction director Andrew Jackson and Multiplex boss Callum Tuckett.

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Lendlease put the UK construction arm up for sale at the end of May and the following month Gorski told Building a deal needed to happen soon. “We need to move quickly and diligently,” he said. “We don’t want an extended period of uncertainty. It won’t drag on.”

Lendlease’s decision to sell up brings to an end a 25-year ownership which began in 1999 when the firm paid £285m for the then Bovis which had been owned for a quarter of a century by shipping business P&O.