As a young man I was eager to learn and I started my professional career as a building development assistant for a small housing and commercial property development business. The standards, I now realise were exceptionally high and I learnt from the start the importance of keeping a keen eye on the details.

 

BSc Building Surveying. Salford University. 

 

Building Maintenance Surveyor. During this time I was working with retail commercial property, warehousing and support offices. My work involved alterations and maintenance to Listed buildings, negotiating dilapidation settlement claims and dealing with any party wall matters.

 

Head of Development. During this time I was responsible for the expansion from 320 to 1,000 retail outlets. We had an extensive shop fit out programme running alongside the purchase and fit out of regional distribution hubs and offices. Other notable projects include the completion of a £4.5 million gastro pub designed by Huf Haus. £1.5 million rebuild and fit out traditional pub and various works to private dwellings including the demolition and rebuild of a remote house in the Snowdonia National Park. 

 

Development Director. We expanded from 1,000 retail outlets to 2,100 in this period of rapid expansion. I was responsible for overseeing a wide range of support functions namely; new build, property renovation and fit out schemes to improve and expand the business infrastructure. I also oversaw the reactive and planned property maintenance alongside implementing the refits and new branch openings to a budget of £20 million per annum.