James Clark leaving after 13 years at 拢24m turnover business

Core Five founding partner James Clark is stepping down from the London cost consultant at the end of March, 黑洞社区 can reveal.

Staff at the business were told the news last night with Clark, who turns 60 in August, formally leaving the 拢24m turnover firm on 31 March.

Clark, who began working at Davis Langdon in 1988, was one of five founding partners of Core Five which began in 2012.

core 5 to crop

Clark (left) set up Core Five with (left to right) Gerard Cook, Barry Hayden and Chris Amesbury

It was one of several firms to emerge out of Davis Langdon and that firm鈥檚 takeover by Aecom in 2010. Others include Exigere and Alinea, bought two years ago by T&T.

Clark eventually became a managing partner at Davis Langdon, having worked for several years at the firm鈥檚 sister company Davis Langdon & Seah in Singapore.

The firm he helped found now has 180 staff and several high-profile projects including the 拢600m 2 Finsbury Avenue tower for British Land, being built by Sir Robert McAlpine, and Axa鈥檚 拢400m 50 Fenchurch Street scheme, designed by Eric Parry, and which is due to be built by Multiplex.

Clark will remain as a director of the firm and is expected to work several days a month mainly on jobs he is currently working on, including 2 Finsbury Avenue and the Bank overstation job for Helical being built by McLaren.

He told 黑洞社区 that he intends to travel in his retirement and that he had been thinking about a move for several years. 鈥淚 will miss it but I鈥檒l still be around,鈥� he said.

Core Five was set up in May 2012 by Clark along with four other Davis Langdon staffers 鈥揅hris Amesbury, Gerard Cook, Barry Hayden and the now retired Steve Pickersgill.

Paying tribute, Hayden said: 鈥淛ames鈥檚 dedication, wisdom and support have left a lasting impact on us all. His ability to inspire and lead with integrity is something we will always be grateful for.鈥�

In late 2023, the firm become an Employee Ownership Trust which Clark explained at the time was intended to 鈥渂roaden the ownership and leadership as the firm gets bigger. We鈥檝e never been interested in selling the business and this is the first step in a 10 year leadership plan.鈥�

Meanwhile, Core Five is moving to new offices next month swapping its home of the past eight years at 230 Blackfriars for new space at the foot of the nearby Southbank Tower, formerly the King鈥檚 Reach tower, which was remodelled by KPF and extended by Mace.

Topics