29/07/11 - Promising young leaders on new Future Enterprise Board for Thomas Vale

Created to mirror the Main Board of Directors, the Future Enterprise Board consists of 12 young professionals from a varying range of disciplines who have nominated themselves to undertake additional roles aligned to those who sit on Senior Management Boards across the business. The new board has been endorsed by some of the most recognised peers within the industry, including Constructing Excellence in the Built Environment Chief Executive – Don Ward who added:

“It is excellent to see a leading contractor investing in the development of their future generation of leadership talent and at the same time supporting local social enterprises. I commend this to other companies who are serious about being at the forefront of the industry”.

Stephen Ratcliffe, Chief Executive of the UK's largest representative for the construction industry the UK Contractors Group (UKCG) endorsed Thomas Vale’s continued innovation within the construction industry.

“The Future Enterprise Board is a great idea. Young people with fresh eyes and new ideas are the life blood of the industry. Their ideas for tackling today’s challenges should be shaping the industry’s future. They are especially well placed to help promote the industry as an exciting, innovative and professional sector in which to work. I hope this group will be able to contribute to the work of UKCG.”

With around 150 professional and trade trainees and apprentices employed by Thomas Vale and Tier 1 Supply Chain Partners, they account for just over 15% of people working on behalf of the company every day, making it particularly important that growth, development and succession planning is instilled from the very first day that they start their careers. Professor Melvyn A Lees , Birmingham City University commented

"Educating the next generation of construction professionals is not just about teaching them how to do the business, it is also about developing their understanding of how to move the business forward. The Future Enterprise Board is an innovative way of doing this and will provide a unique opportunity for young professionals to test their ideas in practice."

Within the remit of the board, is to provide a fresh angle to current strategies within the business and to ensure that the traditional barriers and perceptions preventing young people from entering the construction industry, are eliminated. Tony Hyde, Group Managing Director added:

“These youngsters are the future of our industry. If we can utilise their skills, ideas and concepts to help shape our business and 3-5 year business plan it will set us in good stead for future generations to come. Their self-nomination on to the Board clearly demonstrates their commitment in the want to adapt and shape the industry as we see it today. They are ambassadors for both Thomas Vale Construction, the communities in which we work and the wider region and I am proud to have some of the most forward thinking individuals within the region, professionally training with us.”

Already, the Future Enterprise Board are looking to form structured partnerships with local not-for-profit organisations through the company’s membership with Social Enterprise West Midlands and Business in the Community to help define responsibility in the workplace, marketplace, community and the environment to drive best practice and performance through responsible business practice.Stephen Fitzgerald, Director at Business in the Community West Midlands added;

‘I am thrilled to see Thomas Vale Construction encouraging its next generation of leaders to play key roles within the business. This development helps to raise aspirations within the team, bring new ideas and energy to the business, and aids learning at a key time in the working lives of young people who will play a vital part in the business’s future.The focus of the group on a range of key social issues in addition to their ‘day job’ will bring a new dimension to that learning and help in the development of a sustainable future both for the young leaders themselves and for Thomas Vale as a business. This is just another example of the forward thinking of the company and its management team. Congratulations to everyone concerned.’