Contractor J Murphy & Sons has appointed John Murphy as its new chief executive.
Murphy is the company’s chief operating officer, responsible for leading the group’s operations in the UK and abroad. Current chief executive officer Steve Hollingshead will step down at the end of the year and take up a role as non-executive director on the company’s board.
Alastair Kerr, Murphy’s chairman, said: “It is with great pleasure that we welcome John’s step up into the role of CEO. He takes over the reins at an exciting time for Murphy, where we have a clear long-term plan for where we are going and what we want to deliver.
“As well as an understanding of the company’s history, John has experience and knowledge of Murphy’s people and values, which will be instrumental for us as we go forward and deliver our growth plan.”
Murphy said: “Murphy is well-known in the construction industry and I want us to continue to grow and thrive, ensuring that we continue to play a vital role in delivering world-class infrastructure.
“To be at the helm of a company that is leading the way in innovation and engineering – a company my grandfather began more than 60 years ago – is a real honour, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Murphy joined the business in 2003 as a civil engineer and has developed a broad range of experience across the company’s key sectors capabilities and notable projects such the London power tunnels for the Olympic Park in 2012 as well as the south Wales expansion pipeline for National Grid.
Prior to taking on the COO role, he successfully led Murphy’s business across the north of England as managing director and has represented the company on a number of joint venture boards both in the UK and internationally.
Peter Anderson, who joined Murphy from Balfour Beatty in January as managing director for its south business, will become the company’s chief operating officer.
The management reshuffle is part of the company’s aim of becoming a tier one contractor and more than doubling in size from more than £648m in 2015 to £2bn by 2025.
The firm has also recruited a number of high-profile people recently, including former Crossrail man Will Reddaway as its first head of innovation.
