Ray O\u2019Rourke, the founder and ex-chief executive of Laing O\u2019Rourke, will take over as the group’s new chairman in April.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Rourke (pictured), who founded the firm in 1978, will take over from Sir John Parker, who is stepping down on 31 March.<\/p>\n
Parker is leaving the post after eight years<\/a> as Laing O\u2019Rourke\u2019s chairman, the firm announced in a statement.<\/p>\n O\u2019Rourke initially took up the position of deputy chairman when he stepped down as chief executive last year<\/a>, making way for his son Cathal.<\/p>\n In a statement today (12 February), O\u2019Rourke said: \u201cI am looking forward to working with my son, our group CEO, Cathal O\u2019Rourke and our board members as we continue to implement our strategy to push the boundaries of modern construction \u2013 which is the only way to change the nature of the work we do.<\/p>\n \u201cI have spent my entire career in this industry, spanning some 50 years, and I believe it is the best industry there is, but I also know, now is the time to make the step change needed to improve the way we deliver major infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n Before his appointment as group chairman of Laing O\u2019Rourke, John Parker was chairman at Anglo American. His association with the construction contractor will continue in an \u201cambassadorial role\u201d, O\u2019Rourke said.<\/p>\n Parker said: \u201cI have every confidence that Laing O\u2019Rourke will continue to build on its recent successes and achieve its goal to transform the business and the wider sector for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n Laing O\u2019Rourke<\/a> is the fourth-biggest contractor in the UK in the CN100 2024<\/a> rankings, and it was named as one of Construction News\u2019 <\/em>10 companies to watch this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Its latest accounts<\/a>, covering the year to 31 March 2024, showed an 18 per cent jump in turnover to \u00a33.99bn.<\/p>\n The firm also returned a pre-tax profit of \u00a318.1m as it recovered from a \u00a3288.1m loss the year before.<\/p>\n Last September, Cathal O\u2019Rourke told CN <\/em>that succeeding his father at the helm\u00a0would be closer to \u201cevolution rather than revolution<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n