黑洞社区

Laing O鈥橰ourke鈥檚 building director Liam Cummins is leaving to join Kier as its group managing director of construction.

The move is a coup for Kier and its new chief executive Andrew Davies who joined the business in April.

Kier has been hit by a series of problems in the past couple of years including a mounting debt pile in September the firm posted a 拢245m pre-tax loss in the year to June. It was also dropped by British Land over the summer for a 拢300m scheme in London called Norton Folgate.

But Davies has vowed to turn the business around and has begun a restructuring initiative which will see 1,200 jobs go by next summer and the firm sell off its housing arm.

Cummins, who was at Mowlem before joining O鈥橰ourke in 2004, is replacing Peter Young who is leaving the firm. He said: 鈥淭he Kier business has great talent with a strong national reach and local capability.鈥�

Schemes the firm is working on include the P2 building at Kings Cross and the new home for US Air Force F-35 Fighter Jet at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

Davies said: 鈥淚 look forward to [Cummins] working with our senior management teams to drive growth and nurture the long-term client relationships and excellent customer service that our construction business offers.鈥�

Cummins (pictured) goes later this month and paying tribute Laing O鈥橰ourke chief executive Ray O鈥橰ourke said: 鈥淟iam has been an exemplary senior executive for the business, working across Europe, the Middle East and Australia in pivotal roles, in both the main construction business and our specialist trading group.

鈥淲e wish him every success in his new role.鈥�

O鈥橰ourke said it will replace Cummins with an internal appointment.