Subscribe to our Construction Newsfeed
UK Construction Directory
Search our 156,864 companies....

Construction News

12/03/2025

Beard Construction Appoints New Southampton Office Lead

Construction News Image
Beard Construction is marking the first anniversary of its Southampton office with the appointment of Ollie Chun as office lead.

The family-owned company promoted Ollie to head the 18-strong team on the south coast as it aims to continue its growth trajectory and double its turnover in 2025, following a successful year in 2024.

Ollie joined Beard in 2016 as a pre-construction manager based in the Guildford office. He played a key role in the establishment of the Southampton branch, initially dividing his time between both regions.

"After supporting our set-up in Southampton, taking this role was the natural next step for me," said Ollie. "I'm excited to lead the Southampton team into its second year, with the support of Beard’s leadership team firmly beside me, as we continue to deliver quality work for our customers and develop our strong pipeline of work."

Mike Hedges, company operations director at Beard, praised Ollie’s leadership over the past year. "Over the past year, as our Southampton team has grown, Ollie has consistently shown his dedication to delivering projects promptly and faultlessly. His commitment reflects the core values of Beard, and his skills in project management and operational efficiency have been invaluable.
-- Advertisement --
hss



"The Southampton team has had an incredibly successful first year, completing our first two projects and expanding our presence in the region. We look forward to supporting our customers, Ollie, and the team in achieving continued success."

In 2024, Ollie successfully completed Beard’s internal leadership development programme, designed to equip colleagues with the skills needed to be successful leaders and enabling the firm to promote from within.

Approximately half of the Southampton team were existing Beard employees, redeployed to the area to share their expertise and instil the company's culture within the new office. An additional eight new recruits were brought on last year for office and site-based roles.

"We've got a great balance of highly experienced colleagues who are ambassadors for how we do things at Beard, and new recruits with wide-ranging construction and operational experience, as well as sound local knowledge," Ollie added.

The Southampton office was previously led by director Pat Hughes, who left Beard at the end of 2024 after five years with the company. Pat had initially led the Guildford office before transitioning to Southampton.

A flagship project for the Southampton team has been the restoration of the historic Hilsea Lido for Portsmouth City Council. Set to open later this year in time for its 90th anniversary, Beard is modernising and restoring the Lido’s facilities, including the installation of new pipework, stabilisation of the pool structure, and the construction of new modular changing facilities.

In line with its commitment to fostering the next generation of construction talent, the Southampton office is also hosting placement student Mitch Burton, a Quantity Surveying student from Oxford Brookes University. Mitch has been offered a full-time role within the team upon completion of his studies.

Latest Construction News

12/03/2025
Planning permission has been granted for a new Sand Sports Centre at Hove Beach Park, following a decision by councillors at the Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday, 5 March. The proposal, submitted by Yellowave Brighton, includes the development of three sand courts for beach volleyball, beac
12/03/2025
Willmott Dixon is set to deliver a £23 million transformation of Dewsbury Bus Station, continuing its track record of improving urban connectivity across the UK. The project, which follows similar work in Stockport, North Shields, Halifax and Stevenage, is aimed at enhancing the convenience and ap
12/03/2025
Northumberland County Council has secured a £9 million funding boost to drive forward regeneration projects in seven towns across the region. The County Council's Cabinet has approved a Town Centre Transformation Package, which is part of the wider £21 million Borderlands Place Programme, aimed at
12/03/2025
Spare Space has announced the opening of its new outdoor container storage facility in Wombourne, South Staffordshire on 17th March. The secure outdoor site offers a range of container storage solutions with 24/7 access and 24/7 CCTV surveillance, all under customers own lock and key. Located conv
12/03/2025
Castle & Pryor use diamond blades for cutting because they are cost effective, accurate, and safe. Diamond tipped blades can be used on a variety of tooling including floor saws,
12/03/2025
Beard Construction is marking the first anniversary of its Southampton office with the appointment of Ollie Chun as office lead. The family-owned company promoted Ollie to head the 18-strong team on the south coast as it aims to continue its growth trajectory and double its turnover in 2025, follo
12/03/2025
A groundbreaking ceremony was held this week as South Cambridgeshire District Council officially launched construction of the Unity Centre, the permanent community hub for the rapidly growing town of Northstowe. The event, attended by local dignitaries including Cllr Henry Batchelor, Lead Cabinet M
12/03/2025
Buckinghamshire Council's Cabinet has taken a significant step towards the development of the Woodlands site in Aylesbury, agreeing on 11 March to proceed with the next phase of the project. The development will introduce new homes, schools, sports and leisure facilities, healthcare services, and
12/03/2025
Wiltshire Council is to begin upgrading the traffic signals on Church Road in Heywood on Monday, 17 March. The existing lights, which have reached the end of their operational life, will be replaced in a project expected to take approximately three weeks. To accommodate the work, a full road clos
12/03/2025
Passengers traveling on the Midland Main Line between Luton and Mill Hill Broadway this weekend (15–16 March) will need to take buses instead of trains as part of ongoing efforts to improve the reliability of the route. Thameslink and East Midlands Railway passengers are advised to take bus servic
Stuart CanvasBRICOFLOR UKT & D Glazing And Installation LimitedEfco UK LtdLakeside HireAqua Direct LtdThink Construction Skills Ltd.123v PlcForge Lifts LtdLandscaping Cambridge