Nottingham, England, United Kingdom
About: With over 35 years of experience, I have navigated every level of the built environment - from the technical rigour of an apprentice Quantity Surveyor to the strategic leadership of international, multi-sector organisations. My career is built on the combination of a commercial and operational backbone and an executive vision. Having risen through the ranks, I possess a first-hand understanding of project delivery from the ground up, allowing me to lead with a unique best practice and 'troubleshooter' lens across global operations spanning UK, Europe, the Middle East and North America. Sector mastery & strategic breadth: I operate across the full lifecycle of construction and engineering, with deep expertise in: - Specialist Engineering: MEP, Data Centres, Power & Energy, and high-performance Façades. - Broad industrial reach: General Contracting, Infrastructure, Manufacturing, and Facilities Management (FM). - Urban Regeneration: Investment and development expertise, including leading a flagship £1bn mixed-use urban regeneration scheme from land acquisition through to construction and sales. Value Creation & Board Leadership: I have served on the Boards of Listed (FTSE), Private, and Private Equity-backed businesses, consistently delivering enhanced shareholder value. My approach is defined by the development and execution of robust Value Creation Plans that drive efficiency, business improvement, and sustainable growth. The Executive Toolkit: M&A & integration: A proven track record in complex mergers, acquisitions, and post-transaction integration (e.g. Freedom, Benson Industries, US), alongside experience in divestments. Work Winning: Hands-on leadership of JV pre-construction teams to secure multi-billion-pound programmes, including the London 2012 Olympics and Hinkley Point C. Sustainability & Innovation: A champion for the future of the industry, I drive the delivery of Smart Buildings and Smart Cities. I am passionate about leveraging R&D to enhance building intelligence, energy efficiency, and sustainable manufacturing. Commercial & Legal discipline: Built on a foundation as a Fellow of the RICS, I bring intense rigour to cost planning, risk governance, and commercial law, ensuring all operations are underpinned by financial integrity. Leadership Philosophy: I am a collaborative and customer-focused leader with a strong attention to detail. I believe in empowering high-performing teams to tackle the most complex engineering challenges while maintaining a relentless focus on safety and commercial performance.
I formed Taska in 2021 to provide high-impact management consultancy and interim leadership to the construction, engineering, and private equity sectors. Taska is the culmination of a 35-year career defined by a relentless "operational backbone"—a journey that saw me rise from an apprentice Quantity Surveyor through the ranks to CEO and Group COO of international, multi-billion-pound organisations. This unique professional path allows me to bridge the gap between site-level reality and boardroom strategy. I provide a "practitioner-led" advisory service that translates complex industrial challenges into tangible financial and operational results across the UK, Middle East, Europe, and North America. Core Advisory Pillars: 1. Strategic Business Advisory & Value Creation 2. M&A, Integration & Divestments 3. Commercial Management & Legal Strategy 4. Business improvement, operational efficiency, process and governance 5. Specialist Sector & Operational Expertise across (a) Engineering (MEP, data centres and facades); (b) Industrial (general contracting, infrastructure, manufacturing and facilities services); and (c) Development and Real Estate. 6. Sustainability and Innovation My approach and philosophy is simple: leadership must be collaborative, customer-focused, and underpinned by a relentless attention to detail. Having overseen international operations with c.€800m annual revenues and 100+ live projects in 23 countries, I understand the scale of modern engineering challenges. Whether I am leading a JV pre-construction team for a multi-billion-pound programme or providing interim executive leadership to a specialist manufacturer, I apply the lessons learned from three decades at the highest levels of the industry to deliver excellence for my clients.
Group executive leadership role and operational accountability across the Group’s international businesses; turnover c.€800m. Accountable to the Group CEO and shareholders. - Accountable for all operating business units and multiple brands in four geographic Regions, including six international manufacturing facilities, c.2,500 employees and 100 live trading projects in 23 countries. - Group-wide functional accountability for Health, Safety & Wellbeing (driving TRIR from 1.2 to 0.45), Sustainability and Innovation, QA/QC, Legal, Commercial and Supply Chain, risk management, communications and work winning. - Significant business turnaround (from a significant loss-making business to 3 years of consistent profitable growth) alongside the implementation of a 3-year strategic plan to enhance shareholder value for future exit. - Exited non-core business areas, established plans to grow ME + NA regions and developed strategic partnerships with world-leading organisations to pivot the business towards sustainable and innovative product offerings such as ‘intelligent facades’. - Implementation of new Group governance and controls (including project assurance and internal audit). - Acquisition and integration of Benson Industries, which combined with existing US brand, fuelled growth to #1 façade contractor in North America market.
SVELLA is an investment and acquisition vehicle set up to raise funds and acquire controlling interests in underperforming businesses and assets - targeting businesses and assets across a wide range of sectors with particular focus on civil engineering, construction, energy, infrastructure, logistics and transport sectors. Lee held a group executive leadership role with management accountability across the company’s subsidiary businesses including a £100m/pa telecoms / utilities business, a plant hire business with £10m of assets, an Energy business and a property development portfolio. Identification and transaction of potential acquisition and investment opportunities and implementation of turnaround, growth and business strategies. Accountable to the Chairman and shareholders. - Acquired first trading businesses for Svella Plc. - Accountable for all operating business from acquisition to post transaction integration, plans and growth strategies. - Built a strong leadership team in line with the gradual unwind of transitional services arrangements. - Business turnaround – from distressed assets acquired from administration to profitable standalone entities in 7 trading months. - Due diligence and investor approval in relation to several target construction companies. - Raising £26m investment for acquisition and working capital facilities. - Acquisition of Aberla Energy - providing PV/solar and EV solutions to the commercial sector. - Implemented group wide governance, processes, systems and controls. - Divestment of non-core business generating superior shareholder return.
Group Chief Executive role for FTSE market listed £500m turnover business working across the Water, Infrastructure, Telecoms and Building sectors. Accountable to the Plc Board and shareholders. - Joined highly distressed Plc business (with £40m operating losses and negative working capital) as CEO to implement rescue plan. - Worked closely with The City, Group Chair, Group CFO, corporate brokers and banks leading extensive market engagement to secure multiple debt, debt for equity and takeover options for shareholder approval. - Securing bridging loan financing of £15m and overseeing all aspects of the sale and disposal of the four parts of the group to Svella Plc, Galliford Try and Keltbray, safeguarding around 1,800 jobs and realising value for creditors. - Supporting appointed Administrators, Grant Thornton. - Establishment and provision of transitional services to acquiring businesses.