Wates has appointed Robert Stone as head of public sector and national frameworks.
Working with group public sector director Stephen Beechey, Stone will be responsible for strengthening relationship with public sector and government bodies.
Stone joins Wates after nearly six years as director of technical services at Homes England, responsible for capital projects, construction delivery, sustainability and design quality, H&S and environment, estate management and town planning.
He was a member of the Government Construction Board, Government Property Leaders Board and was previously on the Housing Taskforce and the Nutrient Taskforce.
Before joining Homes England he was head of estates at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) for a couple of years.
He also spent 12 years with various Tier 1 contractors – Costain, Laing O’Rourke and Balfour Beatty. At Balfour Beatty he led the £1bn Eastwick & Sweetwater Regeneration Project, part of the post 2012 redevelopment of the Olympic Park in London.
Stephen Beechey said: “The public sector makes up around 70% of our business as a group and will always be a key strategic focus for Wates. Delivering vital social infrastructure and navigating the complexities that this brings requires the best talent, and Robert brings a wealth of experience to our business working directly for our key customers.
“His expertise reinforces our team’s knowledge and capabilities, and I will be working with him closely as we enhance our existing relationships with government departments, while seeking to strengthen our presence in new sectors.”
Robert Stone said: “I’ve worked alongside the Wates team for several years through my previous role with Homes England and have always been impressed by their commitment to the customer and the public who benefit from the projects they deliver. This role will see me work alongside multiple different teams across Wates Group, I’m looking forward to applying my prior expertise to this new challenge.”