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Laing O鈥橰ourke鈥檚 new chief operating officer has laid out a five-year plan for the contractor that he says will 鈥渟urprise the hell鈥� out of the industry.

Tony Douglas has just joined Laing O鈥橰ourke from BAA, where he was chief executive of Heathrow. In his time there he oversaw the construction of Terminal 5, a project that was widely hailed as an example of state-of-the-art construction.

In first interview since switching jobs, Douglas said Laing O鈥橰ourke would become a 鈥渟uper heavyweight鈥� company that would surpass the standards achieved at T5.

With a candidness unusual in a senior Laing O鈥橰ourke executive, Douglas said he would aim to form strategic alliances with clients that will enable the contractor to shape projects from their inception. He added that, as at T5, it would rely on advanced off-site manufacturing to improve project delivery.

He said: 鈥淭his is a new proposition. Next year this will be happening and 80% of our business will be like it from 2012.

鈥淲hat I鈥檓 doing is signalling in an overt way: keep your eye on Laing O鈥橰ourke. We will surprise the hell out of everyone.鈥�

Douglas was speaking as Laing O鈥橰ourke revealed rapid growth for the year to 31 March. Pre-tax profit rose 30% to 拢44.5m and turnover increased by a third to 拢3.5bn. The company is aiming for a turnover of more than 拢5bn next year, which will make it the second largest contractor in the UK after Balfour Beatty.

Douglas dismissed the suggestion that the timing of his departure from BAA, where he had worked for nine years, was connected to the airport operator鈥檚 current difficulties.

He said: 鈥淭erminal 5 is 98% complete. The timing was right, I鈥檝e moved on.鈥�

He added that he 鈥渃ould have gone to at least three plc chief executive jobs鈥� but chose the Laing O鈥橰ourke job because it was the most exciting and because of his relationship with Ray O鈥橰ourke, the company鈥檚 chairman and chief executive, with whom he worked on T5.

He said: 鈥淩ay and I have a very special relationship. We have some things in common and we are different too. Ray is a forthright person with massive energy and ambition. I have that level of energy and ambition to deliver. The differences are I鈥檝e come from an established big company. Laing O鈥橰ourke has gone through phenomenal change to become a big company.鈥�

Douglas would not comment on whether he was being groomed to succeed O鈥橰ourke: 鈥淩ay is not planning to retire tomorrow.鈥�

He said he was not concerned by his lack of a construction background because he had transferrable skills. He said: 鈥淟eadership is key. That鈥檚 my job and I鈥檝e done it in lots of other environments. I don鈥檛 see any challenge there.鈥�

BAA said that the Competition Commission probe into its position in the UK airports industry, which could lead to a break-up, will not affect the appointment of contractors to its projects framework.