The Situation
This built‑environment consultancy had grown steadily over many years, delivering project management, quantity surveying, engineering design and Health & Safety services across the UK. Their reputation was strong, but the founders recognised that the director‑led structure which had served them well was now limiting their ability to hit the five-year growth plan. They needed a Chief Operating Officer to bring commercial rigour, governance, and operational consistency.
The Consequences
Without a COO, the consultancy risked hitting a ceiling. Operational performance varied between teams, governance lacked structure, and the founders were stretched across both strategic and functional responsibilities. With backing from new investors, as the business prepared for its next phase - future M&A digitisation, organic growth, improved operational effectiveness - the absence of a central operational leader threatened to slow momentum. Added to this, the CEO recognised that the five directors desperately needed a leader to develop them both individually and as a group commercially.
The Challenge
The brief demanded a leader who demonstrated the above skillset, with a proven background of scaling allied construction SMEs in the past.
Whilst there was the need to commercialise the business, the CEO was extremely wary of appointing someone who did not fit in with their close knit culture. Many of their clients had enjoyed long term partnerships due to the relationships they had built.
The Approach
The search was reframed around capability rather than specific subsectors within construction services. This meant mapping adjacent professional‑services sectors where operational excellence, governance, and behavioural alignment were critical.
This opened the talent pool up dramatically, although the challenge remained homing in on SME consultancies, where the COO, CCO or Managing Director did not have long term incentives with their current employer.
The Result
With Mark interviewing six headhunted candidates, pleasingly, the client fed back that all four shortlisted excelled at first interview stage.
Ultimately, this led to them final interviewing three, with the preferred candidate having come from a background of scaling, both through organic and M&A activity, three construction firms historically.
Does this resonate?
If your business is preparing for scale, the right COO isn’t just an operational leader. They’re the person who turns ambition into a repeatable, governed, and measurable operating model.
Let’s talk — mgoldsmith@mgheadhunting.co.uk / 07570 740490
