Robin Olorenshaw moves up to newly created post as operations director John Samuel leaves board

UK construction firm Rok has appointed Robin Olorenshaw to the newly created role of chief operating officer.

He moves up from his position as group people director and will be responsible for a wide range of operations including IT, supply chain, customer relations and human resources.

Meanwhile, operations director John Samuel has stepped down as a board director and will leave the company following the restructure.

Stephen Pettit, chairman of Rok, said: “Rob's appointment to the Rok executive management team is an excellent addition and we are confident that he will help to increase efficiency and effectiveness across the business.”

Prior to joining Rok in 2006, Olorenshaw was operations director for the Bank of Ireland UK Financial Services.

Andy Brown, an analyst at Panmure Gordon, said: “The appointment of a COO may seem overkill for a group like Rok. It may signal recognition of broader operational issues, brought out by the recent profit warning; or maybe shareholders have applied pressure to strengthen the management or simply internal action to turn the group around.”

Last month Rok issued a profit warning for 2008 and its share price halved over night.

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