John Phillips will take up the position at BAM Construction in the North East from September 1 after James Wimpenny was promoted to the board of BAM Construct UK.
Mr Phillips was born in Gildersome, Leeds, and began his career as a civil engineer. His work has taken him from jobs as an engineer at Wetherby based A Monk & Co, then as a sub-contractor’s site agent, and then into BAM which he joined in 1989 when the company was based in Birstall. It re-located to Thorpe Park in 2006.
Mr Phillips, 54, said: "If you are a major procurer like a city council, a big property developer, or a large university knowing that a contractor will do what it says and be honest with you from the outset is hugely advantageous.
"Honesty has cost us winning some jobs, but it’s also allowed us to form good partnerships with repeat clients.
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"My main challenge is to build on the successful culture of trust we have at BAM to help clients see how this also works for them."
It’s a philosophy he has put into action personally, winning the Construction Manager of the Year Gold Medal for his work on the 138€ million St Stephens development in Hull in 2008. And he led the team that built Leeds Arena, as well as many other structures.