Wates appoints new north west operations director
Wates appoints new north west operations director
Wates has appointed John Currie as Operations Director for the North West in a strategic move that will help build on their success of delivering major projects across the region.
John joins from Manchester-based developer, DeTrafford. Previously, he spent most of his near-three decades in construction at Carillion, where he rose up the ranks to Operations Director, before moving to DeTrafford in 2018 as Head of Construction.
His experience of delivering major projects for Carillion, such as Manchester’s £60m One St Peter’s Square development, will help Wates in their growth aspirations in the North West, developing their capability to increase both turnover and their portfolio of work.
John’s appointment also moves to strengthen the North West senior leadership team as Wates eyes substantial growth across diverse sectors, building on their market-leading expertise in sectors such as education and commercial developments.
Wates’ recent projects in the region include the £17m Edgar Wood Academy in Rochdale, the £22m Sands Centre leisure and community hub in Carlisle and the new advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing facility at the AstraZeneca Macclesfield Campus, with construction starting last May during the first national lockdown.
John will work across multiple projects, ensuring exemplar performance on health & safety, environmental issues, social value and quality, while his passion for high-rise construction means he will bring a particular enthusiasm and focus around planning and engineering.
Along with his experience, John brings valuable insight into client-contractor relations, having joined DeTrafford to establish an in-house construction team and develop it from scratch, to successfully starting onsite on the £22m St George’s Gardens in Manchester within five months.
Throughout his career he has been dedicated to northern communities, having been heavily involved in driving effective local spend to support homeless people back into housing and work. During his time at both Carillion and DeTrafford, he also took a close and personal interest in apprenticeships, mentoring individuals to ensure they used it as a platform to develop a successful career.
This is an exciting time for the business, and we welcome John to the team. Our exceptional reputation in the North West has only been strengthened over the last 18 months through what has been a difficult period for the industry.
Our robust financial position and in-house capabilities make us perfectly placed to expand in the region. John’s experience of major projects and his understanding of how our clients operate will be invaluable as we build on our successful project delivery and push forward across multiple sectors.”
Dave Saville
Regional director of Wates Construction North
Manchester has been my home now for over 20 years, and I truly feel it’s where I belong. Wates has always been a big and respected name in this region and it’s a real pleasure to join a business that I have always felt holds wonderful values.
It’s an extremely exciting time to join the business and I can only see Wates building on its leading position in a region that has so much opportunity for growth.”
John Currie
Operations Director for the North West
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