He succeeds Rod Bennion, chairman of McNicholas and Mabey Group, who was chairman of the trust for 12 years and on the board for 14.
Construction Youth Trust works with young people from challenging backgrounds to help get them into the construction industry. Andy Wates has been a director for nine years already.
Andy Wates is one of five Wates family members on the company’s group board and the fourth generation of the family at the helm. He joined the Wates Group in 1995 after six years with Costain and John Shreeves & Partners. He is now Wates Group's portfolio development director, looking after long-term investments.
Mr Wates said: "Our vision with the trust is all about inspiring and enabling young people to overcome barriers and finding them work in the construction industry, and now with construction coming out of the recession there are fresh opportunities for us to create more apprenticeships. I really do have so much respect and admiration for what the trust does."
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