CONSTRUCTORS - Key Persons
Arthur Seymur FCIOB FFB was born in December 1942, nearly 1943, in Islington, London, and educated at local schools. He became an apprentice electrician at 16, studying Electrical Engineering at college on day release and evenings. After working on building sites etc for 5 years or so Arthur was invited to work ‘in the office' where he became a designer/assistant supervisor/estimator. After a few years, he left the contracting world and joined the then Ministry of Public Buildings and Works as an electrical designer, working in an office called ‘Survey and Design' which says it all. Arthur spent many happy years with what became the Property Services Agency, eventually ending up in ‘Historic Buildings' and during this time he was lucky enough to work in several royal palaces and public buildings.
In 1970, at age 27, Arthur co-founded an M and E Consultancy, Butler and Young. The company started very small, with the founders keeping their day jobs and working on B&Y projects evenings and weekends. After a year or so of this the company took the plunge and the founders began working full time for their new company. It was a struggle, but the company began to build a regular list of clients, mainly within the PSA, and started recruiting staff. Over years it diversified into Building Control, Fire Engineering, and other consultancy services. As the firm grew Arthur found himself working more on administration than design and he became the Financial Director of the company. Eventually the company recruited a proper FD and Arthur became chairman of the company, which at this time were employing some 300 staff and turning over about £12M. Arthur finally retired from B&Y in 2006.
On a personal note, Arthur was married in 1971, had two children and was then divorced in 1994. He met his present wife shortly after and they were married in 1998. Arthur has two stepsons, a son, a daughter and six grandchildren. When his children were young they spent many happy holidays on the British canals. He then progressed to sailing on the East Coast and ended up a RYA Yachtmaster, spending a few years teaching RYA shore based courses. Arthur now owns a 62 foot canal boat and he and his wife spend lots of time on the canals in their retirement. They also enjoy skiing and have an apartment in Arc1950 in the French Alps.
Arthur joined the WCC in about 2000, became a court member in 2005 and Treasurer in 2009. He was installed as Master in October 2020.
Bob has over 50 years' experience in the construction industry holding senior Main Board Directorships in major international organisations. He is a Past President and Fellow of the CIOB.
David Sheehan FRICS was born in Oxford in 1962 where he spent his childhood.
Following his education, he joined Sainsbury's and developed his career in retail culminating in the role of Operations Director for the stores in London and the South East.
In 2004, he moved into the property team at Sainsbury's. As Store Development Director, he led the teams (i.e. construction, architecture, facilities, store planning, engineering and sustainability) that drove the company's' expansion program. Sainsbury's store space grew by 25% over the period (equivalent to approximately 600 stores). A significant improvement to the Company's environmental footprint was also realized before David's retirement in 2015.
David has also held the Non-Executive Chair for the ExtraCare Charitable Trust Shops Board. This is a non-profit organisation providing retirement villages for the elderly across the UK.
Having recently relocated to the south coast, David is now able to spend more time pursuing his love of sailing, cycling and traveling with his wife Lindsey. He also finds it very rewarding to support his local Church's Junior Sailing Club, assisting young people to sail safely while having fun. He and Lindsey also enjoy their winter adventures exploring Asia and visiting family abroad.
David has been a member of the Worshipful Company of Constructors since 2012 and has been an active member of the Events Committee organizing social activities for the Company, including the Annual Company Sailing Day.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
- Renter Warden
Derek was born 1964 and educated at Eaton House School and Westcliff High school. He then completed an HND and Advanced Diploma in Building Management at Chelmer Institute before attending Nottingham Trent University, where he was awarded a BSc in Cost Management of Engineering Services.
Having started his career with Bovis Construction in the City and West End, Derek ventured to Australia, spending some time working in the controls industry before moving into the Consultant side of the industry. Work at Heathrow then followed, with spells working on assignments in, UAE, France, KSA, Iceland, Israel and Denmark.
As a Partner with Bidwells, Derek has worked extensively for Oxford Colleges for the last 10 years.
Derek is a chartered member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and became a Freeman of Worshipful company of Constructors in 2006, gaining the Freedom of the City of London in 2007 and was clothed as a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Constructors in 2008. He was elected as a Court Assistant in 2015 and became Junior Warden in October 2019.
Outside of his professional life and the Livery Derek is a keen sailor (although without a boat at the moment) and has an interest in " unexceptional" cars, being the proud owner of a 1972 Daf 55. He recently completed a charity fundraising car rally for Maggie's which raised a significant sum and is now planning the 2020 event.
Doug has 50 years in experience in the construction industry and is now Chairman of the Herefordshire Investment Partnership. He is a Fellow of the CIOB and is a Past Master of the Company.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Trustee
- Materials Engineer
Deborah is a materials engineer by profession, working in the construction, defence and humanitarian industries. She is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Materials.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chartered Engineer
- Trustee
Paul is a Chartered Engineer with 45 years' experience in the construction industry eventually as CEO of an international construction, manufacturing and engineering group. He is a Past Chairman of the Construction Confederation and Past President of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).
Clerks, like Barristers, are described as: Honourable, if they are or have been a Member of Parliament; Gallant, if they are serving or have served in HM Forces; and Learned, if they have studied for a degree (the result of their studies is immaterial).
Our Gallant Clerk Kim Tyrrell lives in ‘Howards Way' country, just up from the Hamble River in Hampshire. He's married, with two adult children.
Kim had a long and distinguished career in the Royal Marines from 1975 until 2010, retiring as a Major from the Permanent Joint HQ. His Military Service spans 35 years and has taken him from the Falklands to Kazakhstan.
Unusually for a Royal Marine, he has served almost half his career in Royal Naval appointments, including two ships (Intrepid and Herald), two training establishments (Dartmouth and the Gunnery School), two tours in Fleet HQ and both Naval dockyards.
Job Titles:
- Reverend
- Honorary Chaplain
Canon David Parrott BA LLM is our Honorary Company Chaplain and is available to members in need of his counsel. He worked for 25 years in Chelmsford Diocese before moving to St. Lawrence Jewry in 2009. He has a wide ministerial background, and special interest in ministerial formation, preaching and church law. He is the author of ‘Your Church and the Law' (Canterbury Press, 2008), and is the Education Adviser for the Ecclesiastical Law Society. He's married to Sue and has two adult sons.
Ted's working years were spent helping people to relocate overseas. He took early retirement in December 2004 and pursued his ambition to be a Toastmaster. He is a highly valued and respected member of our leadership team, officiating at all our formal events.
Ted says, "My duties as Beadle are ‘to attend to the Master, Wardens and the Court of this Company on all lawful occasions, properly robed and bearing my staff of office: to guard the door of the Court Room against intruders, to carry messages, serve summonses, to collect fines levied for blasphemy, cursing or reproachful speaking and, in former times, to execute whippings as punishment for offences when ordered by the Master. Also, I protect and identify the Livery on attending Common Hall when voting for the Election of the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs and other Officers of this City.
Born in south west London, Terry Withers completed his school education at Battersea Grammar School before joining the George Wimpey training scheme as a junior surveyor in 1975. He spent three years working in their private development section. A further three year stint followed at MJ Gleeson again in their private development before he decided to branch out into main contracting with a move to Harry Neal Ltd. Here he worked for two years as project surveyor on their prestigious Rampayne Street contract for HM Crown Estates. This including the total revamping and inclusion of Pimlico tube station into the new project.
In 1983 he decided to enter the scaffolding industry and started his own company, Nickle Scaffolding. This grew organically and by purchase with various companies being secured until in 2000 they acquired Admiral Scaffolding and the Admiral Scaffolding Group was formed. All of the companies were then brought under the one umbrella and in 2004 it was transferred to their current location in Wimbledon where it continues to flourish.
In his spare time Terry is a season ticket holder at Fulham FC and The Oval but his real passion is horse racing and he has shares in several horses. He has travelled extensively and enjoys experiencing different cuisines. He is married to Alison and they have three daughters.
Tim was born 1964 and educated at Breakspear Junior School and Vyners school in Ickenham. He then went to Salford University and studied Civil Engineering. He achieved a first class degree and then studied for a masters degree in Soil Mechanics at Imperial College. After a period of research he started his engineering career with Cementation Piling and Foundations (now part of Skanska) in 1987.
During his time with Cementation Tim first became a member and later a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Highlights of this early part of his career were the construction of the Hilton Hotel foundations in Mexico City and the development of a niche business fixing railway embankments and cuttings.
In 2004 Tim joined Taylor Woodrow in a business development role, his remit was to grow a rail business. By 2008 the annual rail business had grown from £35 million to £165 million. During this period Tim studied for a second Masters degree in The Inter-disciplinary Management of Projects at UCL. In 2008 Taylor Woodrow was bought by Vinci and Tim became business development director of the UK Civil Engineering Business.
In 2011 Tim left Vinci and founded Invennt, a business consultancy focused on creating value through construction. Invennt now has offices in London, Dublin and Toronto.
Tim joined the Worshipful Company of Constructors in 2004 and became a freeman of the City of London in 2007, subsequently being clothed as a Liveryman of the Company. He was elected a court assistant in 2015 and became junior Warden in 2020.
Outside of his business life Tim is a keen family man. His hobbies include weight training and mountain biking.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- Trustee
- Chartered Quantity Surveyor
Tom is a chartered quantity surveyor with over 40 years' experience in the construction industry providing commercial and contract advice over a wide range of projects.
Victoria is a construction lawyer specialising in all forms of dispute resolution, and is a qualified arbitrator, adjudicator and mediator. She is a Past Master of the Constructors and of the Arbitrators, and is a former Chair of the Livery Committee.