Two senior promotions support expansion plans at construction firm Beard

Published by

Peter Davison

Mike Hedges and Jamie Harwood

Swindon-headquartered building contractor Beard has announced two senior promotions to support its expansion plans.

Director Mike Hedges (left) has been promoted to the newly created position of company operations director, recognising his increasing impact and influence across the entire business.

In his new role, Mike will oversee all of Beard’s offices including its headquarters in Swindon, and its Bristol, Oxford and Guildford offices.

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He will also oversee a new south coast office which is set to open in early 2024.

Mike joined Beard in 2015 as construction director to head up its new Bristol office.

Following success in Bristol, Mike’s role quickly expanded to support the growth and development of its other regional offices, working closely with chairman Mark Beard and his fellow directors.

Mike has nearly three decades of experience in the construction sector, having previously worked for Wates Construction for close to 20 years.

Jamie Harwood (right) Beard’s director for the successful Swindon region, has taken additional responsibility as safety director.

This new role will build on Beard’s exemplary health and safety record with Jamie now spearheading the entire company safety strategy.

He will also continue in his role as Swindon director.

Jamie joined Beard in 2019 and was promoted to the role of Swindon director in 2021. His 25-year construction career began at Bristol-based Cowlin Construction, before joining Midas in 2013.

As Swindon director, Jamie is responsible for the nearly 100-stong office and a series of construction projects which range from small maintenance jobs to complex, multi-million-pound developments.

Mike said: “For more than 130 years, Beard has not only built fantastic buildings, but a formidable reputation across a variety of key sectors. As we embark on this next stage of growth and expand with a brand-new office, I’m really pleased to be taking on the exciting role of company operations director.

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“It is a great opportunity to work closely with our talented people and fantastic supply partners, while ensuring that our principles of excellent relationships and prompt and faultless delivery are maintained.”

Jamie added: “The safety of our people is paramount, and I’m honoured to be taking on the new safety director role. The safety strategy will continue Beard’s long-standing commitment to ensuring all staff and stakeholders get home safely every day.“

Both promotions come into effect from January.

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.