David Allen has been acting as interim chief executive since the departure of Andrew Davies in November. Andrew Davies has been all set to take over as chief executive of Carillion on 22nd January but his new employer filed for insolvency a week before he got to join.
David Allen, aged 46, steps up to chief executive of Wates having been chief financial officer and company secretary since January 2016.
An Oxford University history graduate, he qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen in the 1990s.
He joined Laing O’Rourke in 2004 as finance director of its European construction business and moved to Crossrail as finance director in 2009.
Wates Group chairman James Wates said: “On behalf of the board, I am delighted to confirm today’s appointment, which is the outcome of a rigorous executive search process. Our aim was always to find the very best candidate, either from within our talented senior management team or from outside Wates. We are particularly pleased to be able to confirm David in this key leadership role, as it evidences our strength in depth at executive level.
“David has shown an acute understanding of what it means to lead this very special family-owned business and I look forward to continuing to work with him as we progress through the next phase of the company’s history.”
Mr Allen said: “I’m excited about leading the next stage of Wates’ push to become an even more high performing, progressive and sustainable organisation that continues to deliver for, and is trusted by, all of our customers and partners.”
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