A handful of senior managers leave, including managing director of contractor’s investment group

A handful of senior managers have left contractor Laing O’Rourke as part of an overhaul of the firm’s senior management team.

Building understands the departures include Lisa Scenna, managing director of the Explore Investments Group, the contractor’s PFI and asset management business.

It is understood that Duncan Symonds, infrastructure operations director, Lee Marks, commercial director, Paul Copeland head of rail, and David Hills, construction director, have also left.

A Laing O’Rourke spokesman did not deny the departures, but said: “We are not going to go into the individual details”.

He added: “A handful of senior managers have left over recent months as our overall priorities and requirements have changed with the market.

“At the same time, we have had a number of senior people join the business recently, which have been reported on.”

Building revealed in January that the contractor had hired Nick Down, the former boss of Carillion’s Middle-Eastern business, as one part of a wide-ranging senior management reshuffle.

In addition Laing O’Rourke’s northern UK boss, Callum Tuckett, took a new job as business unit leader for the UK construction business.

Earlier this year Laing O’Rourke announced it had hired former Olympic Delivery Authority construction boss Howard Shiplee, although it has not confirmed his exact role.

The changes are the latest in a series of reshuffles since the departure of Tony Douglas, former chief operating officer, in 2009 allowing chairman and chief executive Ray O’Rourke to retake direct control of the firm’s operations.

The reshuffle appears to show the £3.3bn turnover firm refocusing following a period of turmoil. In the 2011 financial year the publicity shy firm laid off more than 5,000 of its 17,000 European staff.

Laing O’Rourke has had recent success winning contracts to build the £340m Cheesegrater tower and a £600m biomedical research facility in King’s Cross, but it was forced to wind down its housing development arm due to low demand this year.

 

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