Post has been unfilled for more than eight months following Andrew Jackson鈥檚 departure
Mace has said it has 鈥渘o current plans鈥� to bring in a new construction director after previous boss Andrew Jackson left last October just weeks into the role.
His shock departure came just over three months after he was promoted to the top job at the construction division last July, replacing Gareth Lewis.
Group chief executive Jason Millett has been overseeing Mace鈥檚 biggest business since, with the division being led on a day-to-day basis by chief operating officer Stephen Jeffery along with five sector managing directors including London head Ged Simmonds, fit out managing director Stewart Ward and infrastructure boss Nigel Cole.
Millett said the current set-up would remain for the foreseeable future, adding: 鈥淭here are no current plans to fill the [construction director] role. It might change in the future but there鈥檚 not been a desperate need to fill it. We鈥檝e five strong MDs [in construction] and I oversee them.鈥�
Construction is Mace鈥檚 biggest business by revenue with a turnover of 拢2.1bn last year, a rise of nearly a quarter on 2023鈥檚 figure.
But pre-tax profit at the division, which employs just over 2,000 people, fell from 拢79m to 拢15.7m last year which Millett blamed on the cost of dealing with a problem job, thought to be an overseas data centre.
He declined to name the scheme but said: 鈥淚t was won before covid, it鈥檚 a legacy job that鈥檚 now finished. We鈥檙e still working with the client and they鈥檙e happy with it.鈥�
Mace now employs more than 8,000 people with the majority working at its consult business which last year saw income increase 11% to 拢687m with pre-tax profit jumping by three-quarters to 拢78m.
The division has won a string of high-profile contracts in the past year including a programme management role on a $16bn (拢11.8bn) scheme to build a new tunnel under the Hudson river connecting New Jersey with New York.
Market speculation has increased in recent weeks that the consulting arm has attracted increasing interest from would-be suitors but Millett said: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 comment on rumours but we鈥檙e committed to all of the business and we want to grow it.鈥�
He said the firm鈥檚 operations in the US, Asia and the Middle East had all performed well last year with Millett saying consult was on track to meet its 拢1.2bn turnover target by 2030.
The wider group has a work pipeline of 拢7.2bn but Millett added: 鈥淭hings are a bit slower than we鈥檇 all like. We鈥檙e seeing longer pre-construction periods but that helps with certainty [on cost].鈥�
Meanwhile, Millett, who has been in post since the start of the year, said the firm had approached clients in the wake of the Serious Fraud Office announcing in April that it had arrested three people in connection with a new multi-million pound international bribery investigation.
The SFO said the probe was in relation to the construction of a data centre in the Netherlands for the technology giant Microsoft and added: 鈥淭he target of the investigation is UK company Blu-3 and former associates of the global construction firm Mace Group.鈥�
At the time, Mace said it was 鈥渃ommitted to fully supporting the Serious Fraud Office in investigating allegations鈥� and Millett added the situation had not changed.
Millett said the firm, which found out about the investigation when the SFO posted details on its website, had contacted clients both in the UK and abroad in the wake of the announcement. 鈥淭hey were pleased to receive a call. Some weren鈥檛 aware but people have been very supportive.鈥�
Revenue last year across the whole group was up 18% to 拢2.8bn with pre-tax profit dropping a third to 拢43m. Cash at the bank was up by more than half to 拢320m from 拢212m last time.
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