It was a quieter week at the top table of the tier-one contractors, but two appointments from the past few weeks stand out, less for who they are than for where they sit.

Sergio Cavalaro Sergio Cavalaro becomes the government's new Chief Construction and Scientific Adviser. The Loughborough University professor of infrastructure systems was appointed through open Civil Service recruitment to a three year, full time term, announced on 6 October. He spends a month handing over from interim adviser Thouria Istephan. Cavalaro played a central role in the structural evaluations of RAAC, reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, that helped keep hospitals operating through the pandemic, which reads as a technical appointment rather than a political one. The post was created following a Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendation, and arrives as the Building Safety Levy came into force on 1 October. Reported by GOV.UK and Loughborough University.

Neil Holm Neil Holm moves to HS2 as Chief Programme Officer. It is a newly created role, announced in early September, and Holm arrives from Chief Operating Officer at BAE Systems, where he led the transformation of the shipbuilding business. Before that he was managing director of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, taking the programme through its approvals and mobilisation. A brand new post suggests chief executive Mark Wild is rebuilding HS2's delivery structure rather than adjusting it, and the choice of someone from defence and a live rail upgrade, rather than the existing HS2 supply chain, points the same way. Wild's reset review of the organisation is due to conclude by spring 2027, which suggests more change beneath Holm before then. Reported by Rail Technology Magazine.

Nigel Cann Sizewell C settles into stable leadership at the top. Nigel Cann has been sole chief executive since 1 January, after joint managing director Julia Pyke stepped down at the end of last year; he has more than 40 years in the nuclear industry, including as delivery director on Hinkley Point C. John Holland-Kaye, the former Heathrow chief executive who delivered Terminal 2 on time and on budget, has chaired the Sizewell C board since March 2025. A delivery specialist from inside the nuclear industry running the company, and an airport builder chairing the board, makes for settled leadership as the project moves into full construction, which tends to open up hiring further down the chain. Reported by Nuclear Industry Association and Sizewell C.

I didn't see a major board or C-suite move at Balfour Beatty, Kier, Mace or the other tier-one contractors this week. That is not the same as nothing happening: the quiet ones tend to land on a Friday afternoon.

More moves

  • Duncan Benedetti joins Briggs & Forrester as Group Chief Executive. (source)
  • Darren Gotch joins Lewisham Council as acting head of highways. (source)
  • Dominic Anstey joins BW Workplace as Commercial Director, arriving from Mace. (source)
  • Kelly Meachin Kelly Meachin joins Buckland Rail as Commercial Director. (source)
  • James Scullion joins P McVey as Commercial & Finance Director. (source)
  • Paul Smith joins the Office of Rail and Road as Chief Executive. (source)
  • Rohan O'Grady joins SCS JV as Managing Director. (source)
  • Phil Keegan joins Persimmon Homes as Construction Director. (source)
  • Simon Gorski joins Stepnell as Managing Director of its construction arm, arriving from Lendlease. (source)