Balfour Beatty has promoted business development director Louise Colley to take charge of its pre-construction and estimating functions, on top of her existing responsibilities.
Louise Colley’s promotion follows the retirement of technical services director Steve Holmes after nearly 20 years’ service with Balfour Beatty. Pre-construction and estimating were part of his duties.
Louise Colley has spent much of her 15 years with Balfour Beatty as a bid manager, helping to win work on such major projects as HS2, Hinkley Point C and Thames Tideway.
She was appointed director of bids and proposals for Balfour Beatty Major Projects in 2017 and new business director in 2020.
But while Steve Holmes has the classic technical background associated with such a role – he is a chartered engineer – Louise Colley has degrees in chemistry, advertising & marketing and business administration.
Louise Colley said: “I am proud to lead a highly skilled and inspiring team to deliver growth for Balfour Beatty. Although conscious of the stereotypes and in some cases the realities around gender in our industry, I believe that people should be measured on their merits and recognised for their hard work. Within construction, I’ve seen the power that a diverse team can hold to deliver results and challenge the status quo.
“I hope my journey will encourage others that they can achieve anything if they put their mind to it, and balance responsibilities outside of work, as I am supported to do with my young family.”