Corporate Governance

Sir James Wates CBE

Chairman

Sir James Wates has worked for the company since 1983 and has been Chairman since 2013. He was first appointed to the Wates Group Board in 1997. He is chairman of the Nominations Committee.

Outside of the company, James is Chairman of the BRE (Building Research Establishment) Trust, Chairman-designate of the Institute for Family Business, and a Non-executive Director of Argent Services LLP. In 2018 he was appointed by the government to chair the coalition group developing corporate governance principles for large private companies (the so-called ‘Wates Principles’).

He has also served in the past as Chairman of the CBI Construction Council, Co-chair of Infrastructure Exports: UK, President of the Chartered Institute of Building, Chairman of the Construction Industry Training Board, and Co-chair of Build UK.

Sir James feels passionately that good business, well done, is a force for good for society. In 2012 he was awarded the CBE and in 2019 was knighted for services to business and to charity.

David Allen

Chief Executive

David Allen was appointed Chief Executive in April 2018 having joined Wates as Chief Financial Officer in January 2016.

Before arriving at Wates, David was Crossrail’s Finance Director. He had joined Crossrail in March 2009 from Laing O’Rourke, where he was Finance Director for its European Construction business.

Prior to entering the construction industry in 2004, David worked in Accenture’s Strategy Consulting practice and HSBC Investment Bank’s Corporate Finance & Advisory Division.

David began his career with Arthur Andersen’s Tax Practice, is a Chartered Accountant and holds a degree in Modern History from St. Peter’s College Oxford.

Andrew Wates

Director

Andy joined the Wates Group in 1995. He was appointed to the Board in 2011 and is currently a member of the Remuneration Committee. He is Chairman of the Wates Family Enterprise Trust and also chairs the Wates Investment Partnership, which is the family’s long-term investment portfolio. He has also served as Managing Director of Wates Interiors.

Andy chairs the Wates Foundation, an independent grant making family trust that has been supporting the charitable and voluntary sector for almost 50 years.

Before joining Wates, Andy spent six years with Costain Construction and John Shreeves & Partners.

Outside of the company, Andy is active in the Institute for Family Business, serving as a member of the National Policy committee and Chair of the IFB South East Region. He has recently served as Chairman of the Construction Youth Trust, founded in 1961 to support young people who are facing significant barriers to education, training and employment.

In 2018 he was elected to the Court of The Clothworkers’ Company. He holds an MBA from Roffey Park Business School.

Charles Wates

Director

Charlie joined the Wates Group in 2005. He is founder and joint Managing Director of Needspace?, the company’s managed workspace division which now comprises a portfolio of seven properties across London and the South East. He joined the Board in 2011 and is also Chairman of the Next Generation Committee.

Before joining Wates he was a chartered surveyor with over ten years’ experience in the commercial property sector with firms including Jones Lang LaSalle.

Outside of the company, he is a member of the British Council of Offices and the British Property Federation. He is on the Board of Management, Estates Committee and Finance Committee of the Royal Alexandra & Albert School, and he is a governor of the Emanuel School.

Jonathan Wates

Director

Jonny was appointed to the Wates Group Board in 2008, having previously served as Group Head of Strategy and Sales Director of Wates Homes Ltd. He is a Trustee of the Wates Family Enterprise Trust and the William Wates Memorial Trust. He chairs the Board Sustainability Committee and champions sustainability at a strategic and an operational level.

Previously, Jonny was Founder and Chairman of the renewable energy start up Myriad Cleaner Energy Generation, and he began his career as brand manager at International Distillers & Vintners (now Diageo).

Outside of the company, Jonny holds a range of positions including: Vice Chair of Polaris Family Business Network International; an Advisory Board Member for the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations; a member of the Advisory Council of Commonland; a Trustee of Forum for the Future; an Associate at Leaders’ Quest; and an Ambassador of the World Benchmarking Alliance.

He has an MBA from the Cranfield University School of Management and a Master’s Degree in Sustainability and Leadership from the University of Cambridge.

He is passionate about encouraging biodiversity in the city as a way to raise awareness of climate change, promote community cohesion and create a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature.

Timothy Wates

Director

Tim joined Wates in 1993 and has served on the Board from 2006 to 2008 and since 2011. He is Chairman of the Wates Family Council the Family Shareholder forum and is a member of the Audit Committee. He is also a Trustee of various Wates Family charities.

Prior to joining the Wates Group, Tim started his career at Cazenove & Co.

Outside of the company, he serves on the Advisory Board of the Cambridge Judge Business School and is a Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey. He, and is a Non-Executive Director of Tampopo Limited and Pedder Property. For six years he was Chairman of the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, completing his two terms in July 2020. He has an MBA from the University of Cambridge.

Tim has particular interest in housing and regeneration issues, as well as facilitating the effective management of public-private partnerships.

Paul Chandler

Executive Managing Director, Wates Construction Group

Paul joined Wates in 2017 as Managing Director of the Construction Group and joined the Group Board in 2018.

Paul has overall accountability for Construction and SES Engineering Services all of which have seen significant growth in the last three years.

Before joining Wates Paul was Executive Vice President at Skanska having spent all his 35-year career there. During that time, he was involved in some landmark projects such as the Gherkin and Heron Tower in London as well as the Apple Campus in California.

He is focused on bringing in the next generation of talent to help mould the future of the industry and believes passionately that in order to do so the sector must showcase its impressive expertise and capabilities as it expands with the times.

Philip Wainwright

Chief Financial Officer

Philip Wainwright joined Wates as Chief Financial Officer in December 2018 and sits on both the Group Board and the Executive Committee.

Formerly Group Finance Director at Wilmott Dixon, Philip has a degree in mechanical engineering and began his career as a graduate engineer with Balfour Beatty, before qualifying as a chartered accountant with Ernst & Young. He has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry in both senior financial and operational roles, including at Byrne Group, Laing O’Rourke, Biwater Plc, National Grid and ED&F Man.

Philip is married with four children and lives in Kent.

Jeremy Newsum

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

Jeremy Newsum joined the Wates Group Board on 1 September 2018.

A Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, Jeremy retired in 2016 after spending over 25 years leading the executive team of the Grosvenor Estate and the Grosvenor Family Investment Office. He remains a trustee of the Grosvenor Estate, and also holds Non-Executive roles at Trinity College, Cambridge; Grupo Lar (Spain) and Cambridge Ahead.

Previous Non-Executive roles include Chair of the Urban Land Institute; President of the British Property Federation and council member of Imperial College, London.

Sue Harris

Independent Non-Executive Director

Sue Harris was appointed to the Board as non-exec director in October 2019 and is Chair of the Audit Committee. Sue is a qualified accountant and chairs the Audit and Assurance council of the Financial Reporting Council.

She read chemistry at Manchester University.  She has held senior executive positions across Retail at Marks and Spencer as Group Treasurer and Head of Corporate Development and in Financial Services. She was Managing Director Finance at Standard Life where she led the companys flotation process; CFO of Cheltenham and Gloucester, and Finance Director Retail Bank, Group Financial Control Director and Group Audit Director for Lloyds Banking Group.

Since leaving Lloyds in 2013, Sue has built up an impressive portfolio of non-executive roles, including at Cooperative Bank, Schroders and Co., FNZ (UK), Barclays UK Retirement Fund, the Bank of Ireland UK and Abcam PLC. She had a ten-year association with MENCAP, where she gained experience of social housing – a key component of Wates residential and property services offering.

Sues appointment underscores Wates continued commitment to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance. Her extensive background in finance, the automotive industry, oil and retail, will support our continued commitment to improving customer experience.

Joe Oatley

Independent Non Executive Director

Joe Oatley was appointed to the Board as non-exec director in July 2017. He has been Chief Executive at Cape – a global FTSE-listed company specialising in the provision of critical industrial services to the energy and natural resources sectors – for six years. Joe was previously Chief Executive of Hamworthy plc, a global oil and gas engineering business, which he joined in 2007 and led until its takeover by Wärtsilä in 2012.

Prior to this, Joe spent most of his career in the engineering sector in a broad range of roles including Managing Director – Strategy Development and Acquisitions.

Joe’s extensive experience in senior management, combined with engineering prowess complements the Board’s collective skills and expertise to help the Group meet its strategic objectives as a growing business.

David Allen

Chief Executive

David Allen was appointed Chief Executive in April 2018 having joined Wates as Chief Financial Officer in January 2016.

Before arriving at Wates, David was Crossrail’s Finance Director. He had joined Crossrail in March 2009 from Laing O’Rourke, where he was Finance Director for its European Construction business.

Prior to entering the construction industry in 2004, David worked in Accenture’s Strategy Consulting practice and HSBC Investment Bank’s Corporate Finance & Advisory Division.

David began his career with Arthur Andersen’s Tax Practice, is a Chartered Accountant and holds a degree in Modern History from St. Peter’s College Oxford.

Philip Wainwright

Chief Financial Officer

Philip Wainwright joined Wates as Chief Financial Officer in December 2018 and sits on both the Group Board and the Executive Committee.

Formerly Group Finance Director at Wilmott Dixon, Philip has a degree in mechanical engineering and began his career as a graduate engineer with Balfour Beatty, before qualifying as a chartered accountant with Ernst & Young. He has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry in both senior financial and operational roles, including at Byrne Group, Laing O’Rourke, Biwater Plc, National Grid and ED&F Man.

Philip is married with four children and lives in Kent.

David Brocklebank

Executive Managing Director, Wates Developments

David Brocklebank is the Executive Managing Director of Wates Developments Group, having held a number of roles within the business since joining Wates in 2001. He oversees Wates’ business activity in residential land and development, engaging with both the public and private sector markets.

The Developments Group within Wates comprises of 3 business streams: Wates Developments Ltd, a specialist land investment, planning and joint ventures development business in the private housebuilding sector; Wates Partnerships, a recently formed land and build delivery business, providing turnkey schemes to Housing Associations, Care Home Operators and Investors in the housing, senior living and PRS space; and Wates Development Agency Services providing outsourced development planning and delivery capability together with sales and marketing expertise to Local Authorities in the UK.

David has 27 years’ experience in the development sector, having previously held Directorships within the Berkeley Group and David Wilson Homes. As a prominent figure in the industry, he maintains a keen interest in the direction of planning policy, housing delivery and supply. As part of his role within Wates he sits on the Boards of multiple development project companies as partner to PLC housebuilders such as Vistry and Miller Homes.

He is a founding Board member of the Land Promoters and Developers Federation and been a member of the Advisory Committee of the MSc in Sustainable Development, Oxford University. In his role within Wates, David sits on the Group Executive Committee and Chairs the Residential and Development Investment Committees’ as part of the Groups investment governance processes.

Steve Beechey

Group Public Sector Director

Steve was appointed Group Public Sector Director in July 2020 with responsibility for all public sector relationships within local and central Government. This includes the Department for Education (DfE), MOD, Ministry of Justice, MHCLG, BEIS and the Cabinet Office.

In his previous role as Group Strategy Director he was responsible for the Group business strategy, communications and government affairs.

With over 30 years’ experience, Steve has an excellent industry track record. He began his career as an Engineer with Tarmac in 1987 and progressed into a number of commercial roles before moving into a development and programme management role with Schal.

Subsequent roles included Development and Sector Directorships with Jarvis and Laing O’Rourke, where he was responsibility for over £2bn worth of PFI contracts across education, social housing, MOD, MOJ and infrastructure. He is a Chartered Surveyor, Chartered Builder and was a Founding Trustee of the XP Free School in Doncaster.

At Executive Committee level, Steve is also accountable for consistency around customer engagement and feedback and sits on the sustainability and corporate finance committees.

In January 2019, Steve joined the FTSE-listed building products group, Alumasc plc, as a non-executive director.

Helen Bunch

Executive Managing Director, Wates Residential

Helen joined Wates in 2006 as Group Strategy Director, developing and supporting the delivery of the Group’s growth. She became Managing Director of Wates Retail in January 2011 before heading up Wates Smartspace, following the merger of Wates Retail and Wates Interiors and the acquisition of Shepherd FM, as Managing Director in 2015.

Prior to Wates, Helen spent 17 years with ICI and, successor company, Lucite International working in global businesses that served a wide variety of industries from automotive to household products.

Helen is a Non-Executive Director of Morgan Advanced Materials Plc.

Paul Chandler

Executive Managing Director, Wates Construction Group

Paul joined Wates in 2017 as Managing Director of the Construction Group and joined the Group Board in 2018.

Paul has overall accountability for Construction and SES Engineering Services all of which have seen significant growth in the last three years.

Before joining Wates Paul was Executive Vice President at Skanska having spent all his 35-year career there. During that time, he was involved in some landmark projects such as the Gherkin and Heron Tower in London as well as the Apple Campus in California.

He is focused on bringing in the next generation of talent to help mould the future of the industry and believes passionately that in order to do so the sector must showcase its impressive expertise and capabilities as it expands with the times.

John Dunne

Group Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Director

John joined Wates as the Group Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Director in April 2015 and was appointed to the Executive Committee in March 2017.  He is responsible for leading a company-wide Safety, Health and Wellbeing behavioural transformation programme, embedding a culture of good decision making throughout the organisation and ensuring everyone at Wates understands their individual responsibility. He also has line responsibility for the Quality Assurance and Environmental teams.

Before arriving at Wates, John spent 15 years at Balfour Beatty within various lead Health, Safety and Environmental roles eventually managing the global HSE function across 17 different countries. He has over 20 years’ experience as a HSE Professional, across manufacturing, major construction, engineering and consultancy.

Prior to entering the construction industry in 1997, John spent ten years in the Royal Navy as a diver working on civil and marine engineering tasks as well as bomb disposal, mine clearance and Underwater Special Forces.

John is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. He is married with four children.

David Morgan

Executive Managing Director, Wates Property Services

David is Executive Managing Director of Wates Property Services. He joined Wates in January 2014, following a successful career in senior leadership roles in the support services sector.

A graduate of Warwick University, David was previously Group Managing Director for G4S’ Care and Justice business, a £325m turnover business, employing 5,000 people. Prior to this he was Business Development Director of BT Global Services’ Public Sector division, developing long term strategic partnerships and growing the business to over £500m.

As Managing Director for Wates Living Space, David is responsible for maintaining over 500,000 social housing properties in England and Wales. He has a wealth of experience in working in partnership and joint ventures with housing associations and local authorities and is committed to delivering excellent value for money in addition to community regeneration for all of our clients and residents.

David sits on the Wates Group Executive Committee, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee and Group Risk Committee.

Outside of Wates, David is a keen fundraiser. In 2015 he took part in a successful attempt to break the World Record for the Fastest Relay Run from John O’Groats to Land’s End, raising over £100k for charity in the process.

Paul Rowan

Group HR Director

Paul joined Wates in August 2014 as Group HR Director where he is responsible for all HR activities in the Group including recruitment, learning & development and reward.

Paul has previously worked in a number of sectors including manufacturing, financial services, telecoms, and technology. Having worked for organisations such as Unilver, Glaxo and Barclays, Paul has over 25 years’ experience of supporting substantial business change programmes in large complex organisations.

Paul is ExCo sponsor for all employee issues including diversity and inclusion.

Simon Potter

Group Commercial Director

Simon Potter was appointed Group Commercial Director in July 2018.

He joined Wates in 1989 and has held a number of key roles within the business including most recently as Commercial Director for Wates Construction, where he had overall commercial responsibility for all construction projects both pre and post contract, across the UK overseeing a team of 400 surveyors.

Simon works closely with our clients to overcome problems and define commercially viable solutions for their businesses, bringing extensive knowledge of all contractual forms, construction techniques and procurement types.