Mace director quits to set up fit-out firm with old boss

Mace’s leading fit-out specialist Matt Bray has quit the construction consultant to set up a fit-out company called Paragon Management with his former Bellwater boss Stephen Sproat.

Bray has left just six months after he joined Mace as operations director. This followed the financial collapse of Bellwater in the UK, where he was a director.

Paragon was officially set up last week, and will chase small fit-out contracts in the commercial office sector.

Sproat, who was chief executive at Bellwater before it went into administration, said this week that the company would target a maximum turnover of £20m a year.

Sproat added: “We are both putting money in. We are splitting it 50:50.”

Paragon will be based in London, where Bray will be responsible for project delivery and Sproat will manage the commercial, legal and financial sides of the business.

Prior to his time at Bellwater, Bray had set up fit-out firm Spectrum with Brian Tripp and the backing of Sproat, but the company went under in August last year.

Bray joined Mace Plus, which provides construction services on projects of more than £10m in value, at the end of January, the same time as ex-Bellwater colleague Steve Root, to boost Mace’s fit-out business.

We are both putting money in. We are splitting it 50:50

Stephen Sproat, Paragon

Root is still at Mace running a four-strong fit-out team. A spokesperson for Mace said he had a remit to build that team up.

In a second loss for Mace, Joe Summerhill has quit the company he joined as a board director in September 2002 when Mace bought his Manchester-based C2C company, now called Mace Regeneration.

Summerhill would not confirm his next career move, but he is expected to set up another regeneration company. While at Mace he was head of the company’s northern operation and continued to run the C2C business, as well as having his main board responsibilities.

After Summerhill’s departure last week, Richard Bannister was promoted to run the regeneration business, although he does not sit on the main board.

A spokesperson for Mace said that the company had parted with both individuals on amicable terms.

Bray was unavailable for comment.