This week has seen a new building safety minister appointed and an experienced name will lead a new fit-out business at a tier one contractor.
Safety switch
Alex Norris
The government announced on Monday (28 October) that Alex Norris is its new building safety minister, replacing Rushanara Ali.
Norris, the MP for Nottingham North and Kimberley, has assumed ministerial duties for building safety within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
These duties include the high-risk-building cladding remediation programme and the Grenfell Inquiry response.
His predecessor Ali gave up her building safety responsibilities last month but remains as a minister in MHCLG with responsibility for matters such as homelessness and rough sleeping.
Fit for purpose
Lee Phillips
In the private sector, tier one contractor Wates has recruited industry veteran Lee Phillips to build and lead a new fit-out business.
Phillips has more than 30 years of experience in the fit-out sector, including 16 years at Overbury.
Most recently, he worked for ISG since 2016, serving as managing director of ISG Fit Out from 2019 until the £568m-turnover firm’s collapse in September.
Phillips’ team will focus on London commercial fit-out projects. It will operate alongside but independently of Wates’ existing fit-out business Smartspace.
Fast work
Also in London, the development agency building homes near the planned HS2 high-speed rail terminus at Euston Station has appointed a new chief.
Bek Seeley, ex-MD of development for Lendlease Europe, was announced yesterday (31 October) as chair of the new Euston Housing Delivery Group.
The news came the day after the government’s Budget confirmed Euston as the London terminus for HS2 trains, with funding provided for tunnelling to the station from Old Oak Common.
In her career at Lendlease, Seeley led major housing projects in London, Manchester and Birmingham. She currently holds senior advisory roles in regeneration and affordable housing delivery,
Since leaving Lendlease after eight years in November 2023, she set up her own regeneration consultancy Place Partners UK.
The previous Conservative government and Camden Council launched the Euston Housing Delivery Group in March this year.
Housework
This week also saw internal promotions in the housebuilding sector.
Persimmon announced that Julian Roper had been appointed chair of its South West division.
Roper was previously South West regional managing director, after serving as managing director (MD) of Persimmon’s Wessex business.
He replaces Liam Scott, who has been promoted to deputy UK MD of Persimmon and UK director of Persimmon subsidiary Charles Church.
Both Roper and Scott begin their new roles next January.
