Balfour Beatty names new construction boss

Balfour Beatty has hired Alstom Transportation’s UK and Ireland managing director to be its new head of construction.

Nick Crossfield will become chief executive of Construction Services at the UK’s largest building firm, filling the role formerly carried out by Mark Bullock for three years before he retired.

A statement from Balfour Beatty said Crossfield will focus on developing its construction business with a focus on developing its presence in the growing infrastructure market – including the energy, defence and sustainable transportation sectors.

He will sit on the firm’s executive committee and report directly to group chief executive Leo Quinn, it added.

Balfour Beatty has three divisions: Construction Services, Support Services and Infrastructure Investments. The largest by far is Construction Services, which accounted for £8.1bn of its total £9.6bn revenue in 2023.

Crossfield has worked at Alstom since 2015, having earlier worked at British Steel, Network Rail and Siemens over a career spanning 40 years.

Quinn said Crossfield brings “a wealth of experience working directly with government on behalf of industry, as well as a strong track record of managing large businesses, successfully delivering sustainable profitable growth, and navigating highly regulated environments with a focus on driving operational improvements”.

He added: “His experience and understanding of the markets in which Balfour Beatty operates makes him perfectly positioned to lead our UK Construction Services business.”

Crossfield said: “I have watched with interest over the past 10 years as the group has continued to position and win work in its core markets and I look forward to continuing the successful delivery of national and local infrastructure across the UK.”

Quinn recently said he would be “embarrassed” if the company does not double its roughly 2 per cent margin “in the current environment”.

He also told a podcast aimed at investors that the contractor is undervalued given major forthcoming public infrastructure investment and changes to its contracting style.