Long-standing directors quit roles at construction group
Two long-serving directors have stepped down from their roles at Derby-headquartered construction group G F Tomlinson.
Andy Foster, who has been with the company for over 17 years, latterly as commercial director and heading up the commercial team, is stepping down. G F Tomlinson said he is taking a break from the construction industry, “before seeking new ventures”.
Meanwhile, Chris Flint, on returning from a recent holiday, has decided to take a short career break before also seeking a new venture. Flint has worked for G F Tomlinson for over 19 years in various roles and latterly as managing director of G F Tomlinson Building.
A statement from G F Tomlinson said: “Both Chris and Andy have been loyal and conscientious members of the G F Tomlinson team over the years, and the company would like to thank them for their service and wish them well for the future. Both Chris and Andy in return have said they wish G F Tomlinson and its staff all the best going forward.”
G F Tomlinson has moved quickly to replace the two departed directors.
Adrian Grocock will be joining the board of G F Tomlinson Building as managing director, joining Andrew Sewards (chairman), Stephen Parker (director and company secretary) and Kevin Dodds (construction director). Grocock will be also stay in his group managing director’s role.
Sewards said: “We have our strongest order book for the last five years, with new projects landing on site. Recent projects in the pipeline include the Amenities Building for the University of Nottingham valued at £12m and the refurbishment of Orchard House for Lincolnshire County Council valued at £3.4m. We have also been awarded a place on the Pagabo Decarbonisation Solution for Healthcare Framework for the East Midlands, West Midlands, and South Yorkshire/Humberside regions, valued up to £5m.”
“As the economy is getting stronger, we are continuing to receive quality tendering opportunities under our existing frameworks, and we thank everyone who has been involved. The company’s turnover is increasing, and, over the next 12 months, we are forecasting this to increase to £100m, which is back to the pre-Covid levels of a few years ago.”
“The company continues to recruit key staff to enhance the business, and we are confident that they will be an asset to the business moving forward.”
The reshuffle comes just weeks after GF Tomlinson recorded its lowest turnover in 20 years after a challenging year of widespread delays in the construction sector.
However, the firm’s latest accounts showed a return to profit, making £238,000 after a £2.7m pre-tax loss the year before.
Its £66m revenues were “less than 50% of what we would normally expect”, said Sewards.
But he is expecting a huge improvement in the year to June 2024 and “a substantial increase” in profitability.
