Promotion of Michael Sims to the top job at Clegg Construction comes with the retirement of Simon Blackburn, who has been at the helm of the Nottingham-based company for more than 20 years.

The change in leadership comes as Clegg Construction reports its strongest order book, with more than £82m secured turnover for 2024.

Simon Blackburn, who joined Clegg Construction in 2002, before becoming managing director two years later, will remain as a group director until the end of May to support the new leadership.

“Over the last 20 years I’ve been extremely proud to lead a business that has delivered in excess of 7,000 student beds, 1,500 apartments, 1,000 care home beds, 750 hotel bedrooms and more than one million square feet of industrial schemes,” he said.

“Projects have included new builds, refurbishments, re-cladding & extensions, providing education facilities for primary, secondary, further, higher and vocational training, advanced manufacturing centres, research and development labs, offices, distribution, storage, libraries, leisure facilities, hotels, residential developments, community centres, places of worship, sports facilities, retail buildings, archives, courtrooms, the odd glulam replacement here and there, a raft ride, a cable-ski and even a crematorium.

“I am pleased to be handing over the business with a record level of carry forward workload and I congratulate Michael on his new role as managing director and wish him, and the other directors, all the best for the future.”

Michael Sims joined Clegg Construction as commercial manager in spring 2021, from GF Tomlinson, and was promoted to director in 2022.

He said: “Alongside the other directors, I look forward to building on Simon Blackburn’s legacy and continuing to provide design and construction excellence to our clients across the country.”

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