UK bosses prosper at Bilfinger

Pugh succeeds Nick Dawson as managing director of the business, which is called BOT. Dawson in turn has been promoted to the three-man executive management of the worldwide concessions business, replacing Ken Reid who has joined the executive board at group level in Germany.

Pugh said that Reid was “the first non-German to get to that level”. Reid will have overall responsibility for civil engineering and concessions.

Of the changes within the UK business, Pugh said: “In essence it is a double promotion [for himself and Dawson].”

Pugh was development director of the UK and Ireland business until his promotion on 1 January.

Dawson is one of two managing directors on the worldwide concessions management team, alongside Jürgen Schönwasser. Gerhard Becher is chairman.

Dawson said the team had yet to finalise how it would divide responsibility for the four major concessions markets: North America, Europe, UK/Ireland and Australia.

He said: “Precisely how we allocate the roles is flexible. Globally we will continue to focus on the four key markets, particularly transport and social infrastructure.”

Dawson added that he hoped to raise the number of PPP projects that the company undertook globally from about 20 to more than 30 within five years.

The company’s civils division also submitted the first stage tender of its bid today for the £170m Edinburgh tram service. Bilfinger Berger is competing with only Laing O’Rourke after Amec’s withdrawal.

• David Cooper has been promoted to the head of Barclays Bank’s PFI business. Cooper, who was a director in the unit, succeeds Nick Salisbury.

Since the unit was set up in 1996, it has signed more than 30 projects worth £500m.